Duality
by BrokenAria
Summary: If you ask, most people would say Sawada Tsunayoshi is a boy, but those that know him know that he is actually a she. Not only that but Tsuna even has a phobia of boys, and can't stand to be around one for more than a minute or two. But how will she be able to deal with it when she's suddenly thrown into the world of the Mafia; a world dominated by men? (Fem!27XAll) Slight AU.
1. Blackmail

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Katekyo Hitman Reborn_, it belongs to _Amano Akira_.**

**CHAPTER ONE:**

**_Blackmail_**

_"Mommy is going to read you a story tonight, okay Tsu-chan?" Nana asked her daughter as she tucked her in under the covers. The little girl grinned widely and nodded her head. Tsuna loved stories, especially the ones that had monsters and knights that killed them with swords - or pickaxes like the ones her daddy told her._

_"Alright," Nana said back, although she didn't know what kind of story to tell her daughter. Tsuna loved all of the violent stories, but Nana always secretly wished her daughter would prefer the ones with princesses. "Once upon a time there was a young girl-"_

_"Oh oh! Can she be a knight?" Tsuna interrupted, knocking the sheets off in her excitement. Nana sent her daughter a quick glare and Tsuna crawled back under the sheets._

_"Not this time. This girl was a princess. She was kind, warm-hearted and beautiful. Just like you," Tsuna pouted but she seemed mollified by the compliment. "One day an evil wizard put a curse on the princess. And she fell into a deep slumber. But just before she fell asleep the wizard told her only a kiss of true love could break the spell."_

_"Couldn't a knight just come kill the wizard and end the curse that way?" Tsuna asked innocently. Nana wondered how the girl could regard murder so easily but only shrugged._

_"This wizard was immortal," Nana explained. "The only way the curse could be lifted was with a kiss. So, many knights took up the job, thinking they would be the one to wake the princess. But as they lined up to kiss her, they all fell in love with her looks and not with the girl. Thus none of the kisses were of true love."_

_Tsuna's eyes glossed over from boredom but Nana continued on anyway. "Eventually the strongest knight out of the entire bunch showed up-"_

_"Did he have guns?" Tsuna asked, suddenly interested again._

_Nana sighed but gave in. "Sure. He had two guns strapped on his belt, but he vowed only to use them if he absolutely had to." Tsuna nodded at the adjustment and closed her eyes. "Anyway, unlike the other knights this one was not distracted by her beauty. See, he knew this princess personally and had already been in love with her for a long time. So when he kissed her, he did it out of true love. The princess awoke from her slumber and the two lived happily ever after."_

_Tsuna snored lightly, and Nana kissed her daughter's forehead. "Goodnight," she said then turned off the light._

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

"Pass it here!" one of the boys on Tsuna's team shouted at her. Tsuna purposefully botched the pass, letting the volleyball fall straight between her arms. "A-are you kidding me?" her teammate asked incredulously.

"That's No-Good Tsuna, for you!" another teammate shouted angrily. Tsuna bowed her head to hide the small smile forming on her lips. For some reason she loved it when people called her that.

Normally people would hate to be called No-Good, but secretly she's the one that started the nickname. Though no one knows that. No one knows a lot of things about her her actually. For starters, that she's a girl. You could ask anyone at Namimori Middle School 'What gender is Tsunayoshi Sawada?' and even the teachers would tell you a boy.

That's the way she liked it though.

"Since YOU ruined the game," one of her teammates seethed. "YOU have to be the one to clean up the court."

Tsuna nodded, trying her best to look upset about it. In reality, she would rather clean up by herself. The less time she had to spend around other boys the better. P.E. was always the worst time of the day for her. The teachers separated boys from girls, so she would have to spend an entire hour with only guys. She didn't even like being around one for a minute much less a whole slew of them for an hour.

"Here you go," the teammate from before said as he shoved a broom into Tsuna's hands. Unfortunately, his fingers brushed her's for a fraction of a second. A vicious shiver ran the length of her spine and she jumped away from him, dropping the broom in the process.

"Jeez, you can't even hold a broom right. No wonder you flunk all of your classes..." he shook his head, then turned and left. Tsuna quickly picked up the broom, but found she could barely hold it. Not just her hands, but her entire body was covered in a cold sweat. She couldn't stop shaking either.

Ever since the incident that happened when she was little she hasn't been able to be around boys, especially touch one, without having a fit like this. You'd think pretending to be a boy would only cause her to be around other ones more but as long as she put on the No-Good Tsuna routine no one even bothered her. Sometimes she wished she could dress like a girl, but seeing how much other girls get harassed for wearing a skirt she wasn't too eager to put one on.

Just as Tsuna finally finished cleaning up the gym, she heard something through the open window. "Whaaat, is that weird?" the voice of a girl asked and giggled. Tsuna could recognize that voice anywhere. Kyoko Sasagawa. Over the years Tsuna always wanted to talk to Kyoko, and be friends with her. But Tsuna could never convince herself to risk it. If even one person at school found out the truth about her she would always be afraid that everyone else would find out too. Sure, she trusted Kyoko but Tsuna could never bring herself to.

Tsuna sneaked over to the window and hid under the bottom slate. Like always Kyoko was with her friend Hana, but a boy was making his way over to the two girls. Tsuna wanted to tell him to go away and leave the girls alone, but she kept her mouth shut.

"Oh Mochida-senpai," Kyoko greeted him with a quick bow. Tsuna realized she actually knew the guy. He was a year older than them and captain of the Kendo Club. Not to mention a total asshole. Tsuna had the misfortune of hearing him in the locker room once. The amount of girls he strung along was disgusting.

"Well, I'll be going. I don't want to intrude," Hana winked at Kyoko, then turned to leave.

"Don't leave her alone with him!" Tsuna quickly covered her mouth, but it was too late - she shouted that out loud.

"What was that?" Hana asked, turning back around. Tsuna hits the deck before Hana can see her. The other girl calls out multiple times but Tsuna stays down and stays quiet. Even after a few minutes Tsuna is too scared to stand up, so she army crawls her way out of the gym.

"Well that was close..." Tsuna whispered to herself once she was finally in the clear.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

"Hey, Tsunayoshi!" Nana shouted from downstairs. "I got a call from school. You came home in the middle of class again, didn't you?" Tsuna quickly tried to come up with a lie, but honestly after the little anxiety attack from earlier, and what happened with Kyoko Tsuna didn't feel like finishing the rest of the school day.

"What do you plan to do with your life?" Nana demanded as she stomped up the stairs.

"I don't know," Tsuna responded half-heartedly. To be honest Tsuna didn't care much about what happened tomorrow, next year or even ten years from now.

Nana slammed the door open, and barged into her daughter's room. Over the past few years Nana has gotten fed up with her daughter's attitude. She had figured when Tsuna hit middle school that she would drop the whole boy act. Instead, she didn't embrace becoming older, Tsuna fought it. She even started to bind her chest everyday and wear baggier clothes to hide her changing body.

It wasn't that Nana disagreed with Tsuna's choices, but after several years of therapy a doctor had insisted that Tsuna wasn't transgender. Acting as a boy was just how she coped with the incident. Rather than just suppressing her problems Nana wanted her daughter to get past them. At this point she feared that by the time her daughter finally got over things it would be too late to turn her life around.

"I'm worried about you, Tsuna. I'm not saying that you have to go to an amazing high school or college, but I don't want you to mess up your chances at a happy life. You can't just sit here and do nothing everyday." Nana grimaced, but Tsuna just shrugs her off.

"I like my life the way it is, Mom," Tsuna pouted indignantly.

"Well, Tsu-chan, lucky for you, you have a mom that is willing to take action _for_ you." Nana smiled brightly at her daughter, but there was a hint of mischievousness behind it.

"What did you do?" Tsuna groaned.

"A Home Tutor is coming over today," Nana's smile widens as she passed her daughter a flyer. "I found this cute little flyer in the mail and just knew it was the right thing for you."

"Will raise your kid to be the leader of the next generation-" Tsuna read allowed, but stopped before she could finish it. "You have got to be kidding me? This sounds like a total scam!" Nana glowered at her and took back the flyer.

"It's probably a tutor from a professional business school for men. Maybe he'll even where a suit," Nana gushed, hugging the flyer to her chest.

"You're hoping it's a guy?" Tsuna asked incredulously. "But you know-"

"Ciaossu!" a high-pitched voice broke into the conversation. Tsuna looked down to see a toddler standing about a foot from her. He was one of the most adorable babies she'd ever seen. The toddler was in a cute little suit and a fedora - basically a shrunken version of an Italian James Bond.

"Well he's wearing a suit..." Tsuna mumbled to her mom. She had to hold back the urge to pick him up and squeeze the life out of him. He was just so damn cute.

"I've arrived 3 hours early, but as a service I'll evaluate you now," the baby continued, as if Nana and Tsuna knew what he was talking about.

"Hey, whose kid are you?" Nana asked delicately.

"Hm? I'm Reborn, the Home Tutor," he explained, lifting an eyebrow.

Tsuna couldn't help but laugh. "I told you it was a scam, Mom," Tsuna stuck her tongue out at her mom. "I was wondering what kind of person could make such a ridiculous flyer, who would have thought it was a baby?"

Reborn only glanced at Tsuna analytically - like he was sizing her up. "So you're Tsuna?"

"Yeah," Tsuna responded, getting down to his level. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can learn from y-" Before Tsuna could finish her sentence Reborn swiftly kicked her in the gut, knocking her out.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

When Tsuna finally woke up her cheek was soaked with slobber. Quickly, she rubbed away the spit, and tried to remember how she fell asleep in the first place. And how she got on the floor...

Then she remembered Reborn, in fact he was asleep right next to her. Tsuna scrambled out of the way, afraid to touch him. She wasn't sure if he would cause her to have an attack but she didn't want to risk it. After a few minutes of silence she couldn't stand letting him just sleep on the floor in her room.

He is a baby after all... sleeping on the floor may not be good for him, not to mention his parents are probably worried sick. Tsuna grabbed a pillow off the bed, and started poking his foot with it. Before she knew what was happening she was on her back, her tie held tightly in Reborn's hand.

"D-did you just-" Tsuna stumbled, trying to get her breath back.

"I have no openings," Reborn told her as if he was giving a lecture. "My true line of work is assassination." Reborn quickly pulled open his briefcase, and assembled a gun. "My real job is to make you a Mafia Boss."

"A Mafia Boss?" Tsuna asked, confused. A part of her thought that sounded really awesome, but she had to remind herself to keep up the No-Good Tsuna act.

"I was assigned by a certain man to train you to become an astounding Mafia Boss," Reborn explained, pointing the gun directly at Tsuna. She scooted a little farther away from him, not necessarily from the gun, because she was pretty sure it was a toy, but she didn't want to risk him actually touching her.

"Ummm, are you okay?" Tsuna asked reproachfully. "You didn't fall and hurt your head or anything?"

"Should I shoot you?" Reborn asked her, ignoring the question. He pointed the gun at her head, and despite herself she actually felt a little scared. The gun may be a toy... but it was a really convincing toy. "Actually, not now," Reborn's tone changed completely. He disassembled the gun and quickly put it back in it's case.

"Wha?" Tsuna cocked her head. Reborn's stomach let out a loud growl, and she rolled her eyes. So he was hungry? Reborn quickly turned on his heels and left Tsuna standing there, staring after him. "Hopefully this'll be the end of things... I'm sure mom learned her lesson..."

After a few minutes Tsuna realized she was hungry too and went downstairs - only to find Reborn sitting at the kitchen table with her mom.

"What're you still doing here?" Tsuna demanded. Reborn just kept eating though, with no intention of answering.

"The contract states that Reborn-kun will live here until your grades go up," she explained with a light hearted smile, though Tsuna could sense her ulterior motive. Nana was blackmailing her. Until Tsuna dropped the act, Reborn was going to be staying at the house to terrorize her.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hey guys, not sure how many people will like a story like this but I hope you at least enjoyed it a little bit :) I'm pretty sure there are other stories like this, but I hope it wasn't too much like the others. I don't want to bore you. Also, I'm sorry if this chapter seems a little short, I didn't want to do much in the first chapter, and I thought it kind of organically ended at that point anyway.

Oh, almost forgot, this story is Fem27xAll, but I was thinking if you guys want it to lean towards a specific couple then feel free to let me know. If it seems that you guys want one over the others I'll try to work it in as much as I can.


	2. Keeping Secrets

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Katekyo Hitman Reborn_, it belongs to _Amano Akira_.**

**Rating: _T_ because I like fucking cuss words! (Well... not actually fu- you know what I meant) No seriously, I don't use them that often, I just keep the rating there in case I feel like it.**

**CHAPTER TWO:**

_**Keeping Secrets**_

Running around town half naked. _Check_.

Getting hit by a bike. _Check_

Falling down a cliff. _Check_.

Running into the disgusting Mochida-senpai. _Check_.

Embarrassing self for life. _Check_.

Not giving a single fuck about all of the above. _Check_.

Tsuna learned the hard way that a lot can happen in 5 minutes...

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

"Why're you following me, Reborn?" Tsuna asked, refusing to make eye contact with said toddler. All Tsuna got in response however was the light tapping Reborn's shoes made against the concrete. His silence only made Tsuna grow more irritated however. The brunette stopped in her tracks and shot him an icy glare. "You know I left the house to get away from you, right?"

Reborn gave her an amused smile.

The girl scoffed and went back to walking, with Reborn hot on her heels. "Don't you have grade school or you know something else _not here_ to do?"

"Assassins don't go to grade school," Reborn responded flatly.

"So you have literally no better way to spend your time?" Tsuna regretted asking the second she did. Because almost immediately Reborn went back to giving her the silent treatment.

Tsuna was never a particularly hot-headed girl, but this baby sure was turning her into one. No reason she preferred no company over the alternative...

"Kya!~" the voice of a girl pulled Tsuna from her thoughts. Tsuna's eyes widened when she looked up to see none other than the school idol standing just around the corner. The brunette quickly dove behind the fence for cover. Luckily, Kyoko hadn't seen her - she only had eyes for Reborn.

Maybe there was a reason to keep him around yet.

"Ciaossu!" Reborn greeted, as Kyoko crouched down to his level.

"You sure are cute," Kyoko giggled, and Tsuna swore she could see stars in the girl's eyes. "Why're you wearing a suit though?"

_Because he's crazy! _Tsuna wanted to scream. Reborn was as insane as he was cute.

"Because I'm in the Mafia," Reborn explained, causing Kyoko to laugh even more. Tsuna resisted the _exceptionally strong_ urge to face-palm.

"How cool," Kyoko complimented, smoothing out her skirt as she stood. "Well, good luck. Bye bye!~" Kyoko waved at Reborn, then left the baby standing there with Tsuna.

Reborn turned back to Tsuna, a wide smile on his face. "Mafia _seduction_," he bragged. Tsuna rolled her eyes, and crept out of her hiding spot.

"You have a crush on that girl don't you?" Reborn asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.

A deep blush set in on the brunette's face. "I-I don't l-like girls," she stuttered, walking faster to escape the knowing look in his eyes.

"Then what was that about?" he challenged, arcing an eyebrow.

"I w-want to be f-friends with her, th-that's all!" Tsuna exclaimed weakly, her entire body now aflame with embarrassment. Reborn looked like he wouldn't accept her explanation so she went on. "Sh-she's not my type, okay? C-can you just leave me alone?"

"No," Reborn answered quickly, and grabbed Tsuna's wrist, wrenching it behind her back.

Tsuna's body however instantly reacted to his touch. Pangs of adrenaline spiked up her arm from the point of contact. As much as she tried to pull free, his grip was iron locked. Tears sprung in her eyes, and she furiously wiped them away with her free hand.

"Stop! Please!" Tsuna begged desperately. Reborn sensed she was actually somewhat serious and released her hand. Tsuna quickly grabbed her wrist and rubbed life back into it. Her body was covered in a thin sheet of sweat, and she was visibly shaking. The brunette attempted to will her quivering body to stop but it wouldn't respond.

Reborn regarded her with a disappointed look. Tsuna hoped he only thought her outburst was due to the arm-twisting and not something else.

"So, have you told her yet?" Reborn asked, getting back on topic. Relief slowly seeped back into her body. Thankfully, nothing seemed amiss to him.

Tsuna shook her head to clear her thoughts, but her mind felt slow and thick. "No, I - uh haven't yet," Tsuna mumbled back after a moment.

"Why not?" he demanded immediately. Tsuna heaved a sigh at his relentlessness, but answered anyway.

"Kyoko would never want to be friends with someone like me. She's the school idol, and has plenty of _other,_ _better_ choices." Tsuna grimaced and glared at her feet. As much as she wanted to be a normal girl, and have normal friends the way she was now probably shouldn't be around anyone in general. If it weren't for this toddler she'd have been alone right now anyway.

Reborn seemed oddly pleased by her confession though, because he smiled. A weirdly adult smile for a baby, but a smile nonetheless.

"You can die now," he replied simply, pulling out a gun.

Reborn took aim at Tsuna's head.

"Even if that's a toy, you shouldn't point that at people," Tsuna admonished, but she backed away all the same.

"Just go die once," Reborn responded knowingly.

There was a loud bang, and before she knew it Tsuna was flying backwards. Blood splattered in her eyes, and the last thing she saw before staring up at the sky was a grin sprawled across Reborn's face.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

When Tsuna finally came to her head was spinning. "I-I just..." she was too stunned to speak. Tsuna had just asked Kyoko to be her best friend! In nothing but a pair of boxers and her - binding! The brunette looked down at her exposed body, and scrambled to cover herself up.

Kyoko ran off screaming. She probably thinks Tsuna is some kind of stripping pervert now. Tsuna started pounding her forehead with her closed fists. Why did she do something so stupid?! Last she remembered she was talking to Reborn... and... and he shot her?

Tsuna heard footsteps, and glanced up to see Reborn strolling leisurely over to her.

"You shot me!" she accused, jumping up. Tsuna quickly noted the soreness beginning to engulf her body, but she tried her best to ignore it. "I died," Tsuna stated slowly. Suddenly she coughed up a bullet, the very one Reborn had shot into her head just minutes ago. "I don't get it."

Reborn then explained that he had shot her with the Dying Will bullet. A bullet that resurrects the target, and forces them to accomplish the thing they regretted the most as they died. Which for Tsuna, had happened to be that she never asked Kyoko to be friends with her.

Tsuna let that sink in as much as she could with her currently scatter brained mind. Then something occurred to her. "What if I hadn't been regretting anything when I died?"

Reborn turned to hide a smile. "I _am_ an Assassin."

Before Tsuna could register what that meant she heard gasping, and realized that the two of them had garnered a crowd. For a second she wondered why, then she remembered she was currently half naked. Tsuna swiftly covered her chest binding with her hands then darted away from the onlookers.

Reborn followed after her, an amused smirk on his face.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

As Tsuna opened the gate to her house, she realized how lucky she had been today.

Going into the Dying Will mode had torn off all of her clothes but thankfully it left her with the boxers she wore over her underwear, and of course her binding. Walking around in panties and binding wouldn't exactly have been ideal. Considering there wouldn't have been much of a secret left for her to keep at that point. At least with the binding she could come up with an excuse, but girl's underwear... now that would have been difficult to explain.

"Hey, Mom, we're home!" Tsuna shouted as she entered the house. Before Nana could see her, she took the stairs two at a time and darted into her bedroom.

The brunette locked the door behind her, though she was pretty sure that wouldn't keep Reborn out for long. If he truly wanted to get in he'd just blow the door down.

Finally taking a moment to relax, Tsuna checked herself out in the mirror. Not necessarily because she wanted to check out her looks, but because she was worried something about her would show she was a girl. Luckily, her binding was still perfectly in place, and her underwear wasn't even remotely showing through her boxers. A few years back she had begun to wear the boxers as an extra precaution for changing in P.E. or if there was ever an incident in which she lost her pants.

Not that she planned for it to help specifically with reanimating as a half naked person, but whatever worked.

A knock at her door brought Tsuna back to reality. "Is everything okay in there, Tsu-chan?" Nana asked through the door.

"Yeah, Mom!" Tsuna called back, pulling on the nearest clothes she could find - a loose knit T-shirt and a pair of khakis. "Can I actually talk to you real quick?" Tsuna asked, unlocking the door.

"Sure," Nana agreed brightly, the same grin plastered on her face as always.

"It's about, Reborn," Tsuna started.

"I know you don't like having a boy around but-"

"That's not what I'm talking about," Tsuna sighed. "I just don't... ugh..." Tsuna tried to find the words, but they refused to come to her. "I don't know why, but I really don't want him to know that I'm a girl."

"I won't tell him if you don't want me to," Nana reassured her daughter. "But, why does it matter exactly?"

Tsuna began to wonder that herself. She only asked her mom on a whim, but when she thought about it she couldn't really tell why it mattered. Reborn was already treating her like the useless persona she put on, not that she minded. He was only making fun of things she made up in the first place. The idea of him - or anyone for that matter - making fun of something that actually was a true flaw about herself terrified her. Not that she'd admit that aloud though.

"Well, I..." Tsuna locked and unlocked her fingers nervously. Then an idea hit her. "Reborn is just a kid. The concept of cross dressing would only confuse and maybe even scar him."

Nana's eyes widened with concern, and Tsuna knew she had her. "If you think that would help..." Nana stared off thoughtfully.

"Yeah, I do actually," Tsuna lied, laying on the fake concern as much as she could. "You should probably call me _Tsu-kun_ instead of _Tsu-chan_ so as not to confuse him too." Nana pouted, but before she could contest Tsuna remembered something else. "And if he asks about why I wear the binding on my chest, could you tell him I have like a chest disorder or something that requires me to wear it?"

"Why would he ask about that?" Nana's mouth dropped open, though she quickly covered it. "You stripped in front of him?"

"Not intentionally," Tsuna blushed, remembering that not only him but the entire town saw her like that. "And that is _so_ not the point."

Nana pursed her lips. "Fine, I'll help keep your secret. But only because I'm worried about Reborn," _and not because I support your decision. _Nana didn't have to say because they both already knew.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

"I'm going to sleep," Reborn announced as he threw Tsuna's door open.

"No, please do come in Reborn," Tsuna muttered sarcastically. Yawning widely, Tsuna realized she was exceptionally tired as well. But the moment she got up from her desk she fell to the floor.

Bruises and scratches appeared all over her body, and her limbs popped as they contorted into weird angles. "Wh-what's happening?" Tsuna demanded, eyes wide with terror.

"The delayed effects of the Dying Will bullet," Reborn explained. According to him whenever someone is shot with the Dying Will bullet their limiters are turned off for the duration, and they can conquer all kinds of feats. But afterwards they experience all of the pain they didn't before at once.

After some of the pain wore off Tsuna sat up carefully, and gave Reborn a skeptical look. "If there was such a thing as this bullet why exactly haven't I heard about it? I mean wouldn't the news have mentioned something about it at one point?"

"The Dying Will bullet is a specialty passed down and protected by the Vongola Family," Reborn's voice swelled with pride at the mention of the name. "I was assigned by the Vongola Family's 9th generation Boss to come to Japan and train you to become a Mafia Boss."

An excited smile wormed it's way onto Tsuna's face. As much as she thought Reborn was positively insane, she couldn't deny that he was telling the truth about some things. After all she had experienced the Dying Will bullet first hand.

"Vongola the 9th is getting old, and he was planning on passing on the boss status to the 10th generation but -" Reborn paused, and he quickly pulled out some pictures. They were all snapshots of dead bodies. Then he explained in _explicit_ detail how all of the other 10th Boss candidates were gruesomely taken out of the running.

Tsuna pretended to be disgusted by the pictures, but in reality she was oddly fascinated. Especially by the one that was reduced to bones. She wondered how exactly the Assassins managed to do it.

But regardless, all of their deaths meant one thing - Tsuna was the only living ancestor that could qualify for the position.

"Don't worry," Reborn told Tsuna as he changed into his pajamas. "I'll make you into a fine Mafia Boss."

"But I haven't even agreed yet," Tsuna joked with a slight smirk. Her face dropped though when she noticed Reborn crawling into her bed. "Hey, wait just a -"

"If you interrupt my sleep you'll die. Be careful," Reborn warned, traps already in place.

After the most exhausting day of her life Tsuna didn't even get to sleep in her own bed...

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

That night Tsuna dreamed of _the incident_ again. The brunette woke with a gasp, her blood coursing loudly in her ears. Furiously she wiped at her forehead, which was sticky with sweat. As much as she hated it, almost every night since she was a little girl she's had the same nightmare. Waking up scared, with her adrenaline pumping was nothing out of the ordinary.

It was however doubly frustrating that she woke up on the floor.

Tsuna slowly pushed up from her makeshift bed, neck cracking the entire way. She tossed Reborn's sleeping form an angry glare, then went and got ready for the day.

Now that Reborn was in the house, Tsuna was careful to dress in the bathroom so there weren't any surprises. As Tsuna hooked her binding into place, she began to wonder what would happen at school today. She'd tried not to think about it because honestly she was terrified, but she couldn't ignore it anymore.

Yesterday when she had gone all Dying Will Mode she had shown not only Kyoko but Mochida her half naked form. There was no way that was going to go not talked about at school. The brunette couldn't believe that Kyoko would even waste her time with that scumbag. If they ever got together in the end he'd just hurt her. Boys were just not worth the trouble they brought.

Tsuna considered ditching school, but she knew Reborn would hunt her down and eventually force her to go if she didn't. In the end it would just cause more problems.

Sighing, Tsuna finally submitted to her fate. With one last look in the mirror to make sure everything was in place, she left the bathroom.

Just as she exited the bathroom however she ran into Reborn. Tsuna recoiled, and stumbled back against the door, afraid of his touch. "Do you need something?" she hissed.

"Hm?" Reborn lifted an eyebrow at her reaction. Tsuna scoffed, and walked past him, but just before she was out of earshot he asked the one question she _really_ didn't want to be asked today. "Why do you bandage your chest?"

A chill went down the brunette's spine. She knew she would have to come up with an excuse sooner or later. She had just hoped it would be later.

"I uh -" Tsuna trailed off nervously. "I actually have an uh... alignment problem with my chest, and without it I have difficulty... breathing and... yeah."

Reborn opened his mouth to respond but his stomach growled, and that of course took precedence. "I'll accept it for now."

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

Just as she'd expected, the second Tsuna pushed open the door to her classroom there was an uproar. "Hentai!" she heard someone shout. "We heard all about it from Mochida-senpai!" another yelled. There were plenty of other insults flung at her expense, but there were too many to even distinguish.

The worst part about all of it though, was the look on Kyoko's face. She looked just as embarrassed if not more so than Tsuna.

Usually when people insulted Tsuna it was for things she did on purpose. But when they were teasing her for something she actually messed up it felt different. Pain constricted in her chest, and a sudden wave of anxiety and nausea rolled over her.

Unable to take it anymore, she stepped back and slid the door closed in front of her. Just as she turned to leave though, she was whisked into the air.

White hot burns broke out all over her body, as the hands of several boys threw her onto their shoulders. "Captain Mochida is waiting for you at the Dojo!" one of them yelled. With so many boys touching her Tsuna felt like she was being electrocuted over and over again.

"Let me down, or I'm going to throw up on all of your heads!" she warned, and it wasn't a lie. Either she was going to pass out or throw up. The Kendo Club members argued nervously below her. "I'm not lying!" Tsuna viciously began dry heaving. Immediately the boys scrambled to let her down.

Luckily for them, they had already made it to the Dojo by that point.

"There you are, you hentai stalker!" the voice of Mochida shouted from the middle of the Dojo. He said some more pig-headed stuff, but Tsuna blocked it out. The world was still swimming with black dots for her.

Mochida was in the middle of explaining the challenge, but Tsuna began to swoon. "One second," she excused herself and emptied the contents of her stomach into the nearest trash bin. Even the Kendo Club members that were supposed to be guarding her backed away in disgust.

After he was sure Tsuna was done retching, Mochida continued on with the rules. "If you get one point off me then you win," he chuckled, then pointed his wooden sword at Kyoko. "The prize of course will be Sasagawa Kyoko!"

During his mini monologue however, Tsuna slipped unnoticed out of the Dojo. As much as she wanted beat the smug look off his face for naming Kyoko as nothing more than a prize, Tsuna knew better than to challenge him.

For starters he was the Kendo Club Captain, so the chances of her winning were slim to begin with. Not to mention she could never bring herself to actually touch him. Even if they did use the swords, just being that close to him sounded like a pain. If she were able to though, she'd love to tear him a new one.

"Ciaossu!" the voice of Reborn greeted, and before Tsuna had the chance to find him she was hanging upside down. She struggled fruitlessly with the rope entangled around her foot, but soon gave up.

"What are you doing here, Reborn?" she struggled to ask. Hanging upside down after just throwing up your breakfast was not something Tsuna would recommend to anyone... ever.

"I'm watching to see if you're acting like a Mafia Boss," Reborn replied, acting like it was the most exhausting thing in the world. "It's a chore, but don't worry about it. You and I have a relationship."

"R-relationship?" A fierce blush took over Tsuna's face. Though she attributed that to the fact that she was upside down at the moment.

"Don't misunderstand," Reborn assured her. "My relationship with you is as a Hitman and a target." Reborn whipped out a gun then pointed it at Tsuna's forehead. "Now, die."

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

Once Tsuna finally had control over herself again she noticed several things in waves. First, that she was holding a giant pile of hair. Second, that everyone was cheering her name. Third, that Mochida was lying on the ground - bald. And lastly, she was half naked yet again.

Tsuna stared down at Mochida, who was sprawled out spread eagle. She couldn't believe she beat him - with the Dying Will she could do anything. But at the same time she felt kind of hallow. Like it was her accomplishment yet at the same time not.

Bending down, Tsuna laid the pile of hair next to Mochida's head. She was careful not to touch him, but the closeness still kind of bothered her. A part of her wanted to say sorry, but she honestly didn't feel too bad. Mochida's hair was his best feature - without it he wouldn't be able to string along as many girls anymore. In a way it was like a service to the school.

When Tsuna stood back up however, the crowd was enclosing around her. As much as she wanted to bask in the glory of everything for a little bit she couldn't stand being close to so many guys.

"Tsuna-kun!~" Kyoko shouted as she ran over to the brunette. Tsuna turned around hesitantly. She hoped that Kyoko wasn't too upset with her about yesterday, though she know she didn't deserve Kyoko's forgiveness. "I'm sorry for running away and screaming yesterday," Kyoko apologized, causing Tsuna's eyes to widen with surprise.

Tsuna tried to apologize in place of her, but she was too stunned to speak.

"My friends often tell me I don't know how to take a joke," Kyoko chuckled sheepishly. "Anyway, you were incredible! I wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it!"

"Th-thanks," Tsuna said, scratching the back of her neck.

"What's with the chest thing though?" Kyoko asked innocently. Tsuna almost forgot she didn't have a shirt on.

"I have an alignment problem," Tsuna lied, almost too quickly. "It uh helps me breathe if I wear it."

"Oh," Kyoko looked down, feeling bad for asking about something so personal. Which of course made Tsuna feel worse.

"It's alright," Tsuna reassured her with a shy smile. Kyoko grinned back, and for the first time in her life it felt like Tsuna had made a friend.

As much as she hated to admit it. Reborn was insane, incompassionate, self-centered and a complete annoyance... but none of this would have been possible without him.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well that was a godforsakenly long chapter to write. But it's alright, now I can get to the fun stuff. Not that this wasn't fun or anything... but it will be nice to actually get to something besides exposition.

By the way, in case you were wondering why, I chose not to include the Dying Will Mode scenes because I thought they weren't needed. I'm sure you guys have seen them as much as I have, and honestly they wouldn't have been changed much from the original if I did write them in. Right now I'm only trying to include the content that would be changed. So if something is omitted, like certain explanations or scenes that's why. I'll summarize or review them a little bit so as to not to break continuity, but I'd really rather not include them if I can avoid it.

Also if the last part of the chapter seems a little sloppy, that's because I was so tired when I wrote it that my brain attempted a skull-jail break. I'll try to clean it up a little bit before posting, but I'm sorry if I miss any mistakes.

Thanks for reading, and don't forget to tell me what couples you'd like to see in this story! See you next time!~


	3. Cracked Facade

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Katekyo Hitman Reborn_, it belongs to _Amano Akira_.**

**CHAPTER THREE:**

**_Cracked Facade_**

_When you spend your entire life pretending to be one person,_

_and one day you don't have to be that person anymore,_

_who are you supposed to be then?_

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

"Good going, Tsuna!" someone shouted from behind said brunette. Tsuna jumped at the sound. _What the heck?_ Someone was actually calling her by just her name...?

Tsuna turned around to see a guy she hadn't even met before beaming brightly at her. "How you beat Mochida-senpai yesterday was totally awesome!" The boy mimicked what Tsuna assumed her face looked like during the match, then started ferociously attacking the air.

"Th-thanks," Tsuna said hesitantly, backing carefully away from him. "I - uh - got to go to class." The boy gave her a thumbs up, then walked away, leaving Tsuna staring after him in awe.

That was the first time anyone had ever greeted her in the morning.

Now that she thought about it though, people had been looking at her oddly since she arrived at school. Whenever she passed by someone in the hall they either backed away in terror, or gave her a nod of approval.

Most people would love to have the extra attention, but for Tsuna it was like waking up in a nightmare.

After years of cultivating the image of No-Good Tsuna, for it to suddenly drop away was staggering. It was all thanks to that stupid match with Mochida too. At first she had assumed that people might view her just a little differently, but for them to completely forget everything she'd done over the past few years...

Tsuna shuddered at how long it would take for her to build her reputation back up.

"Hey, hey Sawada!" a voice interrupted Tsuna's thoughts. The brunette's eyes shot up in surprise, only to see a boy running full speed at her. The boy skidded to a halt in front of her, and she stumbled back out of the way.

"Good morning?" she asked hesitantly, not sure what to expect from the energetic boy.

Instantly, the other boy clasped his hands together and bowed his head. "I have a huge favor to ask of you," he started. "The volleyball tournament is today, and we're short a Regular. Could you fill in for us?"

"Why me?" Tsuna asked, eyes wide with shock. Then she remembered. After beating Mochida yesterday everyone thought she was some amazing athlete or something now.

"That wasn't - I wasn't -" Tsuna tried to explain what really happened yesterday, but the words wouldn't come out. It wasn't like she could just blurt that a baby Assassin shot her in the head with a bullet that made her reanimate, and accomplish things she normally couldn't.

"Please, I'm begging you here!" the boy bent his head down even farther. "We really need to win this!"

Tsuna was ready to vehemently decline the offer, but then she got an idea.

If she agreed to play this game, and completely let them down her reputation would get back to normal in a flash. A lot of people would probably be there too so word would spread fast that No-Good Tsuna hadn't really changed at all.

"I'll do it!" the brunette agreed, a fake smile plastered on her face. The other boy cheered, a just as wide grin forming on his own. Tsuna instantly felt guilty for using him and his team, but it was the only way to get things back to the way they should be.

"With the hero that beat Mochida-senpai on our team we'll definitely win," the boy said with a sigh of relief.

"H-hero?" Tsuna mumbled guiltily. The boy nodded and told her when and where to meet for the game before running off to get ready. Tsuna frowned, and stared after him. Is this really what she wanted...?

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

With every second that the clock got closer to game time, Tsuna's stomach constricted tighter and tighter. Sure, this game was the perfect opportunity but she couldn't help feeling like a jerk. As much as she hated to admit it, it felt nice to have someone relying on her for once.

Usually it was easy to let people down because they expected it from her, but when they actually thought she would come through? That was a different story.

"Hey, Tsuna!" the guy from before exclaimed, bringing her back to reality. The rest of the team waited anxiously behind him at the door to the locker room. "We'll be starting soon. You coming?"

"Uh - you guys go ahead first," Tsuna's voice wavered. The team broke out in an uneasy babble, but none of them outright complained.

"Alright!" the boy from before, who Tsuna assumed to be the team captain, agreed oblivious to his team's unease. "See you there!" As they filed out of the room Tsuna swore she heard someone whisper _No-Good_ under their breath.

Tsuna heaved a sigh, then ran her fingers through her hair. "What am I doing?" she asked herself aloud. There was no reason she should be hesitating. Over the years she had let so many people down, why did this game have to be any different?

_"The Mafia Boss, a leader who rules over a criminal organization. Able to move a number of trusted members with one hand. Willing to risk even his life for his family. Surrounded by the respect and admiration of all. Seen as a hero by the children of the slums." _The words that Reborn had forced Tsuna to read that morning before school came to mind.

Reborn said she was supposed to become a Mafia Boss, but she didn't fit that description at all. Tsuna wasn't a leader, she didn't have friends she was willing to risk her life for and she most definitely wasn't a hero...

Maybe that's what it was... the leader of the volleyball team had called her a hero. No matter how much she liked being called No-Good Tsuna, being called a hero felt different - better somehow.

Hesitantly, Tsuna stood up and made her way out of the locker room. Even if she played badly - the brunette actually wanted to try for once. It had been years since she had seriously tried at the sport though, and she couldn't remember if she was actually any good at it.

"Oh! Tsuna-kun!" Kyoko exclaimed, as she ran up next to her. "You're playing in the volleyball tournament, right?"

The brunette nodded miserably. Tsuna completely forgot that Kyoko would possibly be at the game. Of course she figured Kyoko would hear about it eventually, but Tsuna hadn't expected her to actually be there.

"You should probably go then," Kyoko suggested with a smile. "The game is about to start. I'm sure everyone is waiting for you!" The other girl grabbed Tsuna's hand, and basically dragged her the rest of the way to the gym.

The moment the two girls stepped into the gymnasium however, they were instantly overwhelmed by the noise. The large room was filled to the brim with people. Some of the crowd even had signs with Tsuna's name sprawled across them. It was a scene most teens her age could only dream of, but for Tsuna it only filled her with more anxiety. A part of her was tempted to just turn and run far, far away but with Kyoko standing next to her she couldn't bring herself to do it.

"There you are, Tsuna!" the team captain shouted above the crowd, waving her down. Tsuna swallowed the lump forming in her throat and joined her team on their side of the court. "I knew you would make it," he said with a smile, and clapped her on the shoulder. She jolted from the contact, and quickly shied out from under his hand.

"You sure made us wait long enough!" another one of her teammates complained jokingly. The other players shared similar sentiments as they got into position, but they seemed relieved at the sight of her.

Tsuna tried to give them all an encouraging smile, but she was pretty sure it came out as a grimace.

Despite herself, Tsuna couldn't stop shaking. Being around so many guys in such a confined space made her body spike with adrenaline. Tendrils of heat raked her from head to toe, and as much as she wanted to she couldn't calm herself down.

"Begin!" the referee called and blew his whistle. As the opposing team's server smacked the ball Tsuna began to feel dizzy. There were just too many damn guys in the room for her to focus. Before she knew what was happening, the ball slammed her in face and the referee blew his whistle for the first point.

The entire room went silent.

Tsuna swooned, but was thankful for the quiet as it allowed her to get ahold of herself.

"Come on, Tsuna!" the captain encouraged her. Tsuna willed herself to focus, but even just standing there was sending tremors throughout her body.

Then the whistle shrieked, and the room roared to life again.

As much as Tsuna tried to avoid the ball it seemed to be drawn to her like a magnet. The brunette glared across the court at the sever, and she could tell that he was aiming for her on purpose.

By the end of the first set everyone was glaring at her, including the team captain. Even the crowd was shouting at her, calling her No-Good yet again. The insults stung, but she tried to block them out. She was trying to do her best for once after all.

"Do you even want to win?" one of the boys on her team accused venomously. "We're actually trying here."

Tsuna was too stunned to even stick up for herself. Maybe she could play off an injury or something - she wouldn't seem as useless that way. Some people might even forgive her for playing so horrendously. "I actually... twisted my leg during the match with Mochida yesterday," she lied lamely.

"So that's why you've been off," the captain said thoughtfully. "We can try to play with just five of us if you need to go to the Nurse's office."

"Yeah -" Tsuna trailed off. Noticing then that the entire team was actually covered in their own wounds. Everyone was playing despite the bruises that littered their bodies.

Guilt pulled at Tsuna's gut once again. She really did want to help them win, but she was at her limit. Unable to take it anymore, Tsuna finally left the gym and went outside.

The second the cool wind hit the brunette's sweat drenched face energy returned to her.

For years all Tsuna had ever wanted was to be left alone. To never have to worry about being let down - or letting anyone down. Behind the mask of _No-Good Tsuna_ she was safe... but without it? Tsuna couldn't even remember if she was good at volleyball, much less who she really was.

"You're not going home?" the squeaky voice of Reborn asked, and Tsuna noticed he had been standing in front of her the whole time. The girl shook her head, and balled her fists.

"No, I'm going to stay. Even if it kills me," she resolved, standing up straighter. Even if she lost them the game, she was going to finish it with her team. She could apologize all she wanted to later, but right now they needed her. "I'm going back," she told Reborn, then started sprinting back to the gym.

"Later," he waved after her, a knowing grin on his face

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

By the time Tsuna made it back to the gym, the game was already into the second set. Almost everyone on her team was panting hard and sopping with sweat. They all welcomed her with open arms, and even the crowd ebbed as she took her spot back on the court.

"Tsuna! Tsuna! Tsuna!" the crowd chanted, and despite the anxiety that instantly took her over, she smiled.

From his spot by the net, the referee lifted his hand and blew the whistle. The opposing team's server threw the ball and was about to smack it over, when a familiar sound assaulted Tsuna's eardrums - gunshots. Blood splashed from each of her thighs and perfect little bullet holes tore through her sweats. Tsuna was knocked back by the impact, landing harmlessly on her butt.

There wasn't any pain... like with the Dying Will bullet. Did Reborn do this? She had figured they wouldn't work since he said if she wasn't regretting anything that she'd die if she got shot. But did that count if she got shot in the legs? When she thought about it he had probably only told her that in the first place so she wouldn't rely on them.

If Reborn did shoot her with the Dying Will bullets though, why didn't she feel any different? She still had complete control over her actions, unlike the other two times when she blacked out.

"Tsuna, block!" the team captain shouted, reminding her they were still in the middle of a game. When Tsuna stood up though, the ball was already rocketing too fast. There was no way she'd be able to jump high enough in time. _At least try!_ she heard something scream in the back of her head.

With all her might Tsuna kicked off into the air. Much higher than should be humanly possible in fact. As she slid back down, the ball bounced off her hands with ease. The opposing team was too stunned to even attempt to hit the ball back.

With her new found ability the rest of the game was a breeze. Of course being around the guys still bothered her, and she ran away the second the game ended - but they won.

Thanks to her.

For the rest of the night she felt like she was still flying in the air. It was the first time she had actually came through for someone before. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't wipe the cheesy grin off her face. Maybe allowing people to rely on her, and relying on them wasn't such a bad idea after all.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

The next day had gone much the same at school - minus the volleyball tournament - until of course the teacher announced the class would be having a transfer student.

"Attention class! We have a new transfer student with us who has been studying overseas in Italy. His name is Gokudera Hayato," the teacher gestured to the boy standing next to him. The kid either had what Tsuna liked to call permanent-resting-bitch-face or was not all that happy to be here in Japan.

Aside from his expression, Gokudera was decked out in full punk attire, and looked like a complete delinquent from head to toe. Not that she'd admit it though, but he was also one of the most attractive guys she'd ever seen. If he didn't put on such a sour expression he'd actually have a rather cute face. Not to mention his silver hair and crystal green eyes were to die for.

Tsuna turned to Kyoko, whom was sitting next to her, to see that the other girl was staring dreamily at the transfer student. The brunette turned her attention back to the punk and glowered. If he got anywhere near Kyoko she'd throttle him... well as much as she could throttle him without actually, you know... _touching_ him.

Speaking of throttling someone, Gokudera was looking at Tsuna like he wanted to do the same to her. For a brief second their rage filled eyes met each other, and he sauntered over to her.

"Gokudera-kun, your seat is over here," the teacher called after him. "Gokudera-kun?"

The transfer student ignored the older man, and kicked Tsuna's desk. The vibrations set her teeth chattering, and she regained her senses just in time to catch the desk before it toppled over. By the time she looked back up he was gone.

"What'd you do to him, Tsuna?" one of her neighboring students leaned over and asked.

"Nothing," she insisted, bending over to pick up some of her things that had scattered during Gokudera's tirade. The entire class buzzed with chatter. The other boys wondering if he was some kind of delinquent, and the girls fawning over how cute he looked while also being a badass.

Tsuna on the other hand, was only curious what the hell she did to deserve being his first target.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

As Tsuna wandered the halls after school, she wondered what exactly she had done that provoked the transfer student in the first place. She knew she was skinnier than most of other guys, and her baggy clothes made her look weak but did that really warrant trying to kick her desk down?

Still absorbed in her thoughts, the brunette didn't notice someone was in front of her until she smashed into them. "Sorry!" she apologized reflexively. Unfortunately for her, she ran into a group of upperclassmen thugs.

"Ouch," one of them sneered sarcastically, nursing the arm she had ran into. "I think it might be broken."

Before any of them could lay a hand on her she ran, shouting apologies the whole way. When she finally made it around the corner and outside, she caught her breath. "Well, that was close," she gushed, exasperated.

"You're such an eyesore," a familiar voice complained from close by. Tsuna recognized Gokudera, the transfer student, standing in front of her with his back turned. Tendrils of smoke rolled around him, from what she assumed to be a cigarette.

"Oh, I'll leave you to your - ah -" she trailed off, backing away slowly. For some reason she was just as scared of the transfer student if not more so than those seniors.

"If a prick like you becomes the 10th Boss, then the Vongola Family is fucking screwed," Gokudera spewed through his cigarette, still refusing to turn and face her.

"Wait - how do you know about the Vongola?" Tsuna arced an eyebrow. A part of her still wasn't even sure if it was a real thing, or just something Reborn made up. Though Gokudera pretty much just cinched it's validity.

"I refuse to fucking accept it!" Gokudera finally turned to face Tsuna, his face contorted in vexation. "I'm more fit to the 10th than you are!"

"You act like I'm the one that decided to be the 10th Boss," Tsuna scoffed, and clenched her jaw. Everything that had to do with this family was causing her one problem after another.

"I've been watching your dumb ass since the volleyball tournament, and I've seen all that I need to know that you're a waste of fucking time," Gokudera spit venomously and reached for his pockets. When he pulled his ring clad hands free there was a stick of dynamite in each one.

Tsuna quickly scrambled out of the way. "Okay - uh, just calm down - there's no need to -"

"I am fucking calm," he retorted apathetically. "Now die!"

Then the silver haired transfer student used his cigarette to light both fuses at once. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the bombs flying at Tsuna and jumped out of the way.

Just as Tsuna closed her eyes to submit to her fate the sound of a gunshot pierced the courtyard. The brunette hesitantly opened each eye, and the dynamite sticks clattered uselessly to the ground in front of her.

"Reborn?" she asked, noticing the toddler sitting in a window across the clearing.

"You came earlier than I expected, Gokudera Hayato," Reborn regarded the transfer student, completely ignoring Tsuna.

"You know each other?" Tsuna demanded, no longer able to follow what was going on.

"Yeah, he's a member of the family that I called over from Italy," Reborn admitted nonchalantly. "It's my first time meeting him as well though."

Gokudera turned his intense gaze on Reborn. "So you're the 9th Boss's most trusted Assassin, Reborn." Tsuna knew that Reborn was powerful, but was he really that important? "You weren't kidding when you told me that if I kill off shit-for-brains here that I can become a candidate for the successor, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," Reborn replied cheerily. "Now let the killing commence."

Tsuna narrowed her hazel eyes at the toddler. "You're joking, right?" she asked, though she knew the answer already.

"I'm serious," Reborn stated, lifting his gun at Tsuna. "I want you to fight."

"Fight?" Tsuna glanced nervously at Gokudera. "With him? I am not stupid enough to fight someone in the Mafia..."

"Could've fucking fooled me," the transfer student spit back. Before Tsuna even had the chance to react, Gokudera shoved another ten cigarettes in his mouth, lit them and used the flames to spark the sticks of dynamites he had between each finger.

Tsuna balked and ran in the other direction.

"It's said that Gokudera Hayato is a human explosive device that conceals dynamite all over his body," Reborn stated from his spot on the window sill. "His other name is Smokin' Bomb Hayato."

"Thanks, Reborn!" Tsuna yelled as she ducked away from flying sticks of dynamite. "That's so helpful!" For having tons of bombs being thrown at her, she was actually doing pretty well considering. Though there wasn't much she could do anymore.

"Dead end!" Gokudera shouted victoriously. The transfer student was right - there was nowhere else for Tsuna to run.

"So I assume there's no talking about this?" Tsuna asked, but the steely resolve in his green eyes answered for her. "Yeah, I didn't there would be - "

"Die!" Gokudera shouted, and flung another slew of dynamite her way.

_Well this is it. _Tsuna watched as the smoking bombs descended around her. If only there were some way for her to put out all of the fuses before they killed her...

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

When Tsuna finally came to, she was surrounded by a sea of unlit sticks of dynamite. "I - I actually did it!" she exclaimed, falling to her knees from relief. The Dying Will bullet sure was amazing. While under it's effects she could do anything. Whether it was playing volleyball or defusing bombs she never would have been able to do any of it on her own.

"I was mistaken!" Gokudera barked, as he bowed to the ground. "You're the one that's fit to be the boss not me!" Tsuna turned to him hesitantly, unsure of whether this was just a ploy to get her guard down or if he actually meant it. "I'll follow you, Juudaime! Command me to do anything!"

Tsuna opened her mouth argue, but Reborn beat her to it. "Having the loser serve under the winner is a family rule," Reborn insisted, subsequently cutting Tsuna off from declining.

"I actually didn't really want to be the 10th," Gokudera admitted as he lifted his head. "When I heard that you were a Japanese boy around the same age as me, I just knew I had to test your strength for myself. But you're much more than I expected... Since you risked your life to save mine, it belongs to you now."

"You really don't have to - " Tsuna tried to say, but the determination in his eyes made him hard to refuse.

"Gokudera has become your subordinate because of your strength," Reborn reminded her. "Good job, Tsuna." Tsuna couldn't help smiling. Even if the whole damn situation was ridiculous it oddly made her happy.

"One question though, Juudaime," Gokudera started as he stared at her chest. "What's wrong with your chest?"

Tsuna's widened with surprise. She had forgotten all about what the Dying Will bullet did to her clothes - again. "I have a chest misalignment," Tsuna explained warily. "Wearing this helps me breathe... and stuff..." Gokudera nodded, and looked away like he felt bad for asking.

Tsuna wondered how people were so easily accepting such a ludicrous explanation, but whatever worked. She knew in a few years, once she actually got some curves to her, that it would be more difficult to hide. But for now, she could still pass as a 13 year old boy.

Even if it made her life more complicated, Tsuna had to admit that she actually kind of enjoyed this Mafia business.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hello once again everyone. Thank you so much for all the support so far, I'm sure you know how much it helps. The main reason I've been able to write so much these past few days is solely because of you guys. I kind of want to apologize for this chapter as well though. I wrote multiple versions of it, and only decided to use this one because it was the first one I could finish. I know it's not up to the usual standard but I hope you weren't too disappointed.

Thanks for reading everyone! See you again soon :) ಌ


	4. Worth The Risk

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Katekyo Hitman Reborn_, it belongs to _Amano Akira_.**

**CHAPTER FOUR:**

_**Worth The Risk**_

_Tears stung a little girl's eyes as she tested her wrists against blood stained cuffs. Thickly crusted scabs scraped off, bringing more crimson liquid to the surface. Somewhere in her mind the pain registered, but she had long gotten used to the ache the manacles left behind._

_The taste of copper filled her mouth as the split lip she had received the day before broke open once again. Every time she woke up it was like this - whatever injuries she had would reopen, each time leaving her rawer than the last._

_In the suffocating darkness she couldn't tell whether it was daytime or nighttime - all she knew was that she had awoken to yet another endless nightmare._

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

"Sawada!" Nezu, Tsuna's science teacher shouted, forcing her into consciousness. Tsuna shot up out of her chair, her eyes wild with confusion and terror. Realizing where she was, the brunette quickly retook her seat.

Having nightmares every time she went to sleep was exceptionally inconvenient, especially when it came to falling asleep in class. Usually she tried to avoid doing so, but with Reborn forcing her to sleep on the floor every night she hadn't exactly gotten enough sleep in the past week.

"Uh - yes?" Tsuna asked, still rubbing the disorientation from her eyes. Nezu glowered down at Tsuna in disgust and clicked his tongue. The middle aged man ringed a paper tightly in his hands, his knuckles white with anger.

"Hypothetically speaking," Nezu started, his voice rigid. "If there was a student that scored a 20 or below on every test, painfully lowering the class average - what would you say we do with that person?"

"Give them an award?" Tsuna suggested hopefully.

A vein popped out on his cheek, and looked ready to explode. "Someone from an elite school like myself would say quite the opposite actually. Trash like that only brings down the the intelligence of the entire world, and should be dealt with _permanently_."

Nezu slammed the paper onto her desk, a large _26/100_ visible across the top in red ink. It was a science test that Tsuna had worked on the week before, and intentionally failed. Of course she could've easily just not written anything, but Nezu would've realized what she was doing.

At least this way, she appeared stupid rather than lazy. Although, she wasn't quite sure which was worse when she actually thought about it...

When Nezu finally made it back to his desk, ready to call on his next victim, the door slammed open. All of the chatter in the room cut out instantly, and Gokudera strolled inside.

"You're late! You can't just come in when you feel like it!" Nezu sputtered angrily, though one glare from Gokudera had him hiding behind his stack of tests.

Tsuna averted her eyes from the scene, and tried to focus on something outside the window. If she didn't see her _right hand man_, as he called himself, maybe he wouldn't see her.

_That's a really nice tree... _"Juudaime!" _Sigh..._

The brunette peeked through the corner of her eye to see Gokudera bent over in a bow, a placating smile on his lips. "Good morning... Gokudera-kun," she greeted him through gritted teeth. Even just being this close to him sent tremors down her spine. Slowly she scooted away from him, but every inch she moved he seemed to follow.

Around the two of them the class broke out in a hushed babble, wondering how they knew each other. Some people suggested the two of them were gay lovers. Others theorized that Tsuna was Gokudera's personal slave, but above it all Nezu spoke the loudest.

"Of course a student that showed up so inconsiderately late to class would hang out with such loser trash," Nezu explained haughtily to the class. "Birds of feather flock together after all."

Tsuna swore she heard a physical snap in the air as Gokudera's happy expression dropped.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

"I'm sorry, Juudaime," Gokudera apologized for twentieth time as they made their way to the principal's office. Again, Tsuna had to inch away from him, but it was like the damn boy was attached by a wire. He even went as far as to completely sync steps with her. Just to test it, she abruptly came to a stop, stumbling along the way. Gokudera instantly followed suit, turning to her in concern.

"Is everything alright, Juudaime?" Gokudera demanded, his voice laced with unease. Tsuna heaved a sigh and closed her eyes. To tell the truth, her entire body was burning, and she was doing all she could just to stay standing.

Even if he was a part of her 'family' now, Tsuna still didn't really want to be around Gokudera. Hell, she didn't even want to be around Reborn. But it wasn't like she could tell either of them that.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Tsuna lied, though her voice betrayed her. Gokudera furrowed his brows and opened his mouth to say something, but was instantly interrupted by Nezu.

"Get ready to be expelled," the teacher warned over his shoulder as he stepped into the principal's office. Tsuna swallowed back the giant lump forming in her throat and followed after him. The moment the two students made it into the room however, Nezu went on a rampage.

After a minute or two the principal was pale as a sheet, struggling to calm the middle aged man down. "We can't just expel them - " the principal argued.

"Just suspending them isn't enough," the teacher retorted stubbornly. "I was physically assaulted! Some probation is necessary..." Nezu's face went from enraged to conniving. If he had a mustache Tsuna was pretty sure he'd twirl it. "If I recall principal, weren't you going to hire some professionals to dig up a time capsule on the school grounds?"

The principal seemed taken aback by the sudden change in direction but nodded. "I believe so..." the older man trailed off, as if he was trying to remember something.

"Why don't we have these two do it? If they can find it by the end of the day then they'll be off the hook, but if they don't then they'll be expelled," Nezu smiled smugly, so ridiculously proud of himself. The principal, still somewhat out of sorts from the teacher's outburst, gave a light nod.

"Wait a second," Tsuna slurred, dizzy from being so close to Gokudera. "I didn't do anything. Why am I being punished?"

"You obviously told him to do it," Nezu replied, and Tsuna knew there was no getting out of this. Even if she could explain why Gokudera was so eager to beat someone up over insulting her, in the end it would just be her word against his.

"It's alright, Juudaime," Gokudera reassured her in a hushed voice. "I'm sure we'll be able to find it. I have a plan."

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

As Gokudera was off preparing for his plan Tsuna wandered the halls aimlessly by herself. The brunette nervously locked and unlocked her fingers, unable to keep her eyes off her feet. None of this damn situation was even her fault. In fact, aside from her name being used, Tsuna was absolutely uninvolved.

This was exactly why she preferred to be by herself.

If it weren't for Gokudera, or Reborn for that matter, she would have been fine. Even if Nezu singled her out, she'd have found a way to fly back under the radar eventually. But no, because she allowed herself to get involved with these two now she was about to get expelled when she didn't do anything wrong in the first place.

When she actually thought about it though, the idea of never being able to come back to Namimori left her feeling hollow. Just last week if she were to have gotten expelled it wouldn't have mattered to her much. Back then everyone had still called her No-Good Tsuna, and never bothered to even talk to her - including Kyoko.

But everything was different now. As much as it still terrified her, people didn't see her as just a useless idiot anymore. Of course, deep down she really wasn't ready to let go of her mask yet. The only reason things had changed in the first place was because of Reborn's intervention.

Sure, the two of them had caused Tsuna one problem after the other so far, but they also made her life more interesting.

"If you really don't want to get expelled," the voice of Reborn squeaked, pulling Tsuna from her thoughts. "Then why are you wasting your time not digging up the capsule?" The brunette scanned the area, but couldn't find the Assassin. Then out of nowhere something slimy bashed into her eye.

Stumbling backwards, Tsuna covered her eyes reflexively. "What the? Reborn?" Tsuna opened her eyes slowly to see a tinier than usual version of the toddler perched on top of a recycling machine. Tsuna rubbed her eyes wearily... maybe she was just seeing things? But when she looked again a chameleon had taken Reborn's place.

Not only that but the recycling machine slid open like a door, revealing an elaborate room with elegant toddler-sized furniture. Tsuna instantly recognized it as one of Reborn's many hideouts at her school. Whom, speaking of which, was currently inside.

"I see you've met Leon," Reborn noted, as said chameleon jumped back onto his fedora. "You probably didn't notice him before because he's so good at hiding his presence."

The brunette narrowed her eyes. "I did notice him, thank you." Reborn only grinned back at her, an amused gleam in his eyes.

"Juudaime!" Gokudera exclaimed as he crawled out of the hideout. Tsuna backed out of the way as he unfurled himself. She wondered offhandedly how he had managed to fit inside but decided not to ask. "Reborn was just - ah never mind. That's not important." Gokudera shook his head, like he wanted to say something but couldn't.

"I'm really sorry about earlier!" Gokudera blurted out after a moment, bowing his head.

"You can stop saying sorry," Tsuna snapped irritably, a small smile forming on her lips.

Gokudera lifted his head, and when he did there was fire in his eyes. "I'll find that time capsule no matter what!"

"Oh yeah," Tsuna remembered. "What was that plan you mentioned before?"

A wide smirk spread across Gokudera's features. "All we have to do is blow up the ground with these! Here's your share!" Then he whipped out a pile of dynamite and shoved half of them into her hands. As he released them though his fingers brushed against her own. The contact sent sparks up her arms, and before she could stop them the bombs jerked lifelessly from her fingers.

Luckily Gokudera's reflexes kicked in and he caught them just before they hit the ground. "Well that was close," he exhaled, using the back of his hand to wipe away his now slick forehead. "Maybe I should do the excavating." Tsuna nodded numbly, as her entire body became riddled with tremors.

"Well, I'll go get started!" Gokudera shouted excitedly, completely oblivious to Tsuna's discomfort. He took a second to make sure he had a hold on all of the dynamite, then went sprinting for the stairs.

"Gokudera-kun, wait - " she called after him weakly, but he didn't hear. The brunette gripped at her head, waiting for the sudden bout of nausea to go away.

"What's wrong with you?" Reborn asked suddenly, bringing her back to reality.

Tsuna shook her head, and tried to regain control over herself. "Nothing... I'm fine," she replied brusquely. Reborn arced an eyebrow, but didn't press any further. "I should probably go stop him." The brunette straightened her back, though the action sent her head reeling. She had to catch Gokudera before he did any serious damage to the school.

Tsuna shuddered to think what the Disciplinary Committee would do to him if he actually blew anything of value up.

As Tsuna made her way, albeit woozily, to the staircase she overheard the voice of the one person she really didn't want to hear from right now.

"I know, it's the principal's fault though! He's the one that forgot there wasn't a time capsule in the first place!" Nezu exclaimed as he turned to the teacher sitting across from him in the teacher's lounge. The two teachers chuckled at the poor, pathetic students and sipped their coffee.

Tsuna crept closer to the open door, padding as quietly as she could. "Those bastards are as good as gone!" Nezu boasted proudly. "Even if they tear apart the whole playground they'll never find a time capsule."

Tsuna's eyes widened, and she stumbled backwards. "So that's it?" she asked incredulously. "There's nothing I can do about getting expelled..."

"Gokudera doesn't seem to think so," Reborn reminded her, aiming a gun at her head. "There might be a way yet."

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

In the end, due to the decimation of the school yard and the exploitation of an oddly placed fault line, Tsuna and Gokudera found a way not to get expelled after all. Nezu had been wrong about there not being a time capsule because in fact there was - one from when the teacher himself had gone to school. According to what they found in the time capsule Nezu had been an exceptionally awful student, and when the principal actually looked into it the so called_ educationally elit_e man didn't even have the qualifications to teach.

"Well, I have to admit. That was a close one," Tsuna told Gokudera as they came out of the locker room. Luckily she had an extra pair of gym clothes in her locker, or else the walk home would have been yet another awkward experience. The brunette also didn't want to risk being around Gokudera that long without a shirt on. She wasn't exactly sure why, but for some reason she didn't want Gokudera to find the truth about her either.

"Wait, you were actually worried, Juudaime?" the silver haired boy asked with a laugh. At first she thought he might have been joking, but when she peered into his eyes, she realized he was serious.

Maybe Gokudera was more reliable than she thought? Sure, he dressed like a punk and snapped at the slightest provocation but that didn't mean he wouldn't come through for her.

The brunette shook her head to clear her thoughts. All guys ever do is let people down - girls especially. This one just happened to be a little more proactive than most. Eventually he'd show his true colors... but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy his company in the mean time.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

The next day life was almost back to the way it was before Tsuna had met Reborn. Even if people didn't outwardly call her No-Good anymore they still thought it for the most part. So, like always when it came to picking teams in P.E. for baseball no one wanted her on their's.

After several minutes of deliberation over which team would be the unlucky one to have her pawned off on them someone stepped up. "Why don't you just join our's?" the boy asked, oblivious or just not caring about his team's hesitation. It was Yamamoto Takeshi, one of the most popular boys from Tsuna's class. He was exceptionally talented at baseball, even to the point where he was allowed to play within the first week of school.

Girls also flocked to him, and despite herself Tsuna had to admit he was actually a rather attractive guy. Unlike Gokudera's somewhat unique features that made him good looking, Yamamoto was blessed with being naturally hot. From his facial structure to his height Yamamoto was dealt the best hand of genetic cards possible. Because of his looks and talent though, Tsuna assumed he would be a cocky bastard. So, suggesting she join his team, when he knew she sucked, came as a shock.

"You really don't have to..." Tsuna tried to give him an out, thinking maybe he hadn't meant to invite her. Yamamoto only shook his head and gestured for her to come over. Tsuna couldn't believe it, someone actually picked her for something without resorting to flipping a coin or rock-paper-scissors.

Usually when it came to playing baseball Tsuna didn't have to intentionally throw because she was naturally pretty bad at it. Not as bad as people thought, but definitely nowhere near as skilled as Yamamoto. During that game she even managed to hit a few balls, but never got around to scoring. Standing at the bases next to other guys for so long made her get so dizzy that running was prett much out of the question.

Of course she hadn't single-handedly lost the game like always, but in the end her team saw it that way. "I knew having No-Good Tsuna on our team was a bad idea!" one of her teammates shouted as he threw his glove on the ground. "Why don't you just clean up the field by yourself since you ruined the game again?" Other teammates shared the sentiment and went trudging off towards the locker room before she could decline.

Tsuna shrugged anyway and started collecting all of the mitts everyone had thrown. It wasn't like she hadn't been forced to clean up by herself before. In fact, she preferred it this way. If she had to stay after and clean up with everyone that'd be another ten long minutes she'd have to spend with the guys. At least this way she'd get some well needed alone time.

Between Gokudera and Reborn she hadn't had a moment to herself these days.

"Help has arrived!" Yamamoto announced as he strolled up to Tsuna, a broom balanced on his shoulders. Tsuna instantly felt pangs of adrenaline shoot through her. _Well there goes her alone time..._

"You don't have to help," she retorted too quickly. Though he seemed to take it as an her being courteous rather than wanting him to go away. "Really. I'll be fine on my own."

"No, it's alright," he insisted, already starting to sweep. Tsuna sighed, and submitted to her fate. Quiet time just didn't seem to be on her agenda anymore.

"I'm sorry I let you down by the way," Tsuna apologized after a moment, honestly she did feel bad. Yamamoto had put his neck on the line to get her on his team, and in the end they had still lost. It wasn't like she intentionally threw, but she did do pretty horrendously.

"Don't worry about it," he assured her with a grin, but he seemed distracted. "You have been pretty amazing lately though. From that kendo match to the tournament just the other day." Despite herself the brunette's face burned a deep scarlet. Even if she wasn't primarily the one that did all of that, it felt kind of weird to impress someone as talented as Yamamoto.

"I'm nowhere near as talented as you are though, Yamamoto-kun," Tsuna changed the subject from herself. Yamamoto's face instantly dropped however.

"All I'm good at is baseball... and even that isn't going so well," Yamamoto stopped in his tracks, staring off thoughtfully. "Lately no matter how hard I work at it my averages just keep dropping." His eyes snapped up to look at the brunette, making her avert her own from the intensity. "What do you think I should do?"

Tsuna was taken aback by the question, and found herself unable to answer. "I-I - uh - why ask me?" she sputtered, a blush taking over her face once again.

Yamamoto realized what she meant and chuckled quickly to cover himself. "You've just been so reliable lately, I thought you might know what to do." Tsuna instantly felt bad. She wanted to give him advice, but she spent her entire life avoiding actually trying at anything.

"Maybe if you... just work a little harder at it..." Tsuna attempted lamely, feeling like a huge hypocrite. But Yamamoto cheered up instantly.

"That's what I thought as well!" he exclaimed happily. Tsuna couldn't help smiling as well, but deep down she felt awful. What right did she have to tell him how to do what he loved?

"Sorry I couldn't give you better advice," she apologized after a moment, trying to get him to disregard what she said before. But it only seemed to rile him up more.

"No, no, you're completely right," he reassured her, slipping a long arm over her shoulder. A vicious shiver ran the length of her body, and she fell to the ground, breathing heavily. "Woah, are you okay?"

Furious with herself, she wiped away the tears in her eyes before he could see them. "I'm a-alright," she whispered, more to herself than Yamamoto. "T-tired... I'm just tired."

The raven haired boy offered a hand to help her up, but she only closed her eyes. Confused, he lowered his hand. "I can finish cleaning up the field by myself." Tsuna shook her head quietly, and pushed herself up.

"No, I can still do it," she grabbed her broom back up and offered a weak smile. Yamamoto didn't question it anymore, and the two went back to work.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

During lunch the next day Tsuna found herself unable to eat.

The brunette rested her cheek in her palm and stared out the window. It was such a nice day out, but it only seemed to make her mood worse. The entire night before Reborn had insisted that Tsuna make Yamamoto join her _family_ or whatever. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. Yamamoto was a good guy, he didn't deserve to be forced into her hectic lifestyle. Plus he had baseball - she didn't want to make him choose between the two.

Not that she'd admit it though, but a part of her really did want to ask Yamamoto to join. Reborn and Gokudera were so out there, that she kind of wanted at least one normal person to be around... but would he really be normal anymore if he joined the Mafia? Maybe that's where her true hesitation lied...

"Hey everyone!" someone shouted as they burst into the classroom, pulling Tsuna from her thoughts. "Yamamoto is on roof! He's about to jump!"

"Wait," Tsuna jumped from her seat. "You mean Yamamoto from our class?" The other student nodded, and Tsuna felt like she was punched in the jaw. "But - why would he?"

The other student only shook his head like he wasn't completely sure. "He stayed after school yesterday to practice and he broke his arm."

_Maybe if you work just a little harder at it... _Tsuna's words from yesterday echoed in her mind. In that moment it didn't matter that Yamamoto was a guy, or that Reborn wanted him for some weird Mafia thing, but she was going to stop Yamamoto - even if she had to pull him off the ledge herself.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

"If you came to stop me, it's not use," Yamamoto warned Tsuna as she approached the fence. The crowd behind her, which had been shouting just seconds before, went silent, waiting on his next word. "You should be able to understand my feelings... Being called _No-Good_ all the time. I bet there were times you just wanted to end it all too, huh?"

Tsuna swallowed roughly, as if her throat were made of broken glass. In the course of her life there had been times that she had wanted everything to stop, but it was never from being called No-Good. The pain she had wasn't from feeling inadequate. "No, you and I are different, Yamamoto. I -" Tsuna stuttered, unable to express what she really wanted to say. A dark look crossed Yamamoto's eyes however.

"I see," Yamamoto said, his voice dripping with disdain. "The recently _awesome_ Tsuna is such a fine student now as opposed to me." Tsuna's stomach dropped to her feet. Talking someone off a ledge was harder than she thought.

"That's not what I meant," the brunette explained quickly, still trying to find the right words. "Unlike you I've never sincerely tried at anything... I always assumed it was easier to let people think I was useless than let them judge the real me. I was wrong to tell you to try harder, when you put more work into a single day of practice than I have put into my entire life... Having such a passion for something that you're willing to die for it? I couldn't do that. I'd only die with regrets, believing something as pathetic as _if I only had a dying will I could have done better_." Tsuna exhaled finally, her palms sore from where her fingernails had dug into them. "So, no I'm sorry. I can't understand you feelings..."

Unable to take it anymore, Tsuna turned away. If Yamamoto was still going to jump after she poured her heart out there was nothing more she could do. Her chest also felt like it had been run through with a sword. Never had she been so honest with anyone before, if what she said wasn't enough she had nothing more to offer him.

"Wait, Tsuna!" Yamamoto shouted after her, reaching his good arm out to grab her by the shoulder.

"No, don't -" she warned, but it was too late. Before she could control herself her body jerked from his fingers and pushed back into the fence. The metal links tore away, rusted with age, and the two students went flying. There were screams from the crowd, and Tsuna scanned the group for Reborn - but he was nowhere to be found. Where was that Assassin when she actually needed him?

Just as Tsuna closed her eyes, ready to submit to whatever was about to happen, she heard the familiar crack of a gunshot in the wind.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

When Tsuna finally came to, she was in Yamamoto's lap, his arms still wrapped tightly around her. Scrambling out of his grasp, she held back the urge to throw up. Falling that distance on top of being in prolonged exposure to a guy made her entire body feel like it was cooking in acid. Aside from the queasiness though, the main thing she felt was relief.

"You're okay, right?" Tsuna asked after a moment, finding herself still unable to look him in the eyes.

The raven haired boy only nodded though, his mouth agape in shock. "I don't know how you did it, but that was amazing Tsuna. _You're_ amazing," Yamamoto shook his head in awe.

A fierce blush broke across Tsuna's face and she kept her eyes downcast. Out of everything she'd done so far with the Dying Will bullet this was by far her biggest accomplishment. She had actually saved someone's life. Sure she had saved Gokudera's too, but then again he had been trying to kill her at the time.

"I don't know what I was thinking," Yamamoto exclaimed sheepishly. "Nothing good comes from my idiocy." Tsuna chuckled and pushed herself up. Despite the revulsion it made her feel, Tsuna offered Yamamoto a hand which he gladly accepted. "By the way," Yamamoto started as he brushed himself off. "What're you wearing on your chest?"

Tsuna rolled her eyes. "I'll tell you about it later."

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hooray for creepingly slow story and character development! Don't you just love the Daily Life arc? -_voice drips with sarcasm_- Exposition is only fun when it's done over the course of 60 chapters right? Don't worry though, I promise I won't drag it out as long as the manga. Currently I'm packing about 2-3 manga chapters into one chapter on here, but I'll gloss over the ones I know for a fact will only be a retelling(or just completely irrelevant).

The main reason I'm even including the chapters I am now is because they are essential to explain Tsuna's character growth. Personally, when it comes to stories, whether I'm reading or writing, I only like the character if they realistically worked to become what they are. That's why you'll notice in this story that even though Tsuna isn't as '_useless_' as always she isn't like a genius either. The Tsuna in this story is just an average girl(albeit with a dark past), and if she's going to become anything but, then you can damn well expect it to happen gradually and realistically.

(P.S. found a video on youtube where someone cut all of Gokudera's _Juudaimes_ together... and it's literally a whole episode worth of adorkableness)

Thanks for reading everyone! See you again soon :) ಌ


	5. Family Bonding

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Katekyo Hitman Reborn_, it belongs to _Amano Akira_.**

**CHAPTER FIVE:**

_**Family Bonding**_

"The answer is..." Tsuna trailed off as she looked down at her page of homework. Usually she'd get some of the questions wrong to keep her image of being _No-Good_ up, but that was proving to be increasingly difficult - considering Reborn was holding her at gunpoint... _literally_ and _figuratively_.

Reborn stared at her expectantly, his hands hovering over the lever to the set of explosives sitting next to the brunette. Tsuna swallowed back the lump in her throat. "Th-three," she lied hesitantly.

"Wrong!" Reborn shouted as he pushed down the lever. There was a light click before a mix of fire, hot air and bits of shrapnel blasted Tsuna in the face.

Coughing, the brunette tried to get ahold of herself. The blast was only meant to punish, not actually kill or injure her. _How thoughtful._

"What kind of person uses explosives to teach someone math?" Tsuna sputtered, scraping some of the debris off her exposed arms.

"I do," Reborn replied dryly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. The Hitman quickly pulled over the lever to another explosive. "Next question."

Tsuna clenched her jaw irritably, but started the next one all the same. It was relatively easy, but before she could finish the last line of arithmetic something caught the corner of her eye.

Standing on the tree just outside her window was a young boy in a cow-print jumpsuit. For some reason there were also horns protruding from his unkempt fro of hair, but Tsuna was more preoccupied with the gun in his hands.

"Uh - Reborn -" Tsuna tried to get the Assassin's attention.

"Do you have the answer?" Reborn asked, ignoring the alarm in his student's voice.

"Yeah, it's fifteeen," she answered quickly. "But there's a boy over there with a gun pointed at you..."

"Hmmm, that's correct," the toddler mused, sliding her paper so it was now facing him. "Let me check your work here." Tsuna sighed, trying to listen as Reborn explained another way to work the problem, but found it impossible to ignore the boy in the cow-print.

"Die, Reborn!" the boy finally shouted, pulling the trigger. Tsuna flinched, waiting for something to happen, but nothing did.

The boy in the jumpsuit glanced down disappointingly at his gun, clicking through the supposedly empty chamber. Then the tree branch below him snapped, giving way under his weight.

Surprised, Tsuna darted over to the window, watching as he smacked onto the concrete. "Are you alright?" she called down to the strange boy, but he ignored her.

"Tol - er - ate!" he told himself begrudgingly, tears welling in his eyes.

Tsuna turned away from the window, intent on going to help the poor boy, but one look from Reborn told her she wasn't going anywhere. If Reborn was willing to blow her up over a math problem, she didn't even want to imagine what he'd do if she left in the middle of studying.

"Now, remember this formula," Reborn started as he prattled off more algebra. Tsuna really did try to focus, but the sound of heavy footsteps outside the door made it nearly impossible.

"Long time no see, Reborn!" the boy from before shouted as he threw open the bedroom door. "It's me, your arch nemesis, Lambo!"

"Did you get that?" Reborn asked Tsuna. The brunette blinked. How did he expect her to follow when Lambo kept interrupting?

"Don't ignore me!" Lambo screeched, pulling out a butcher knife. "I'll kill you!" The boy flew at Reborn, blade aimed for the jugular. With a flick of his wrist however, Reborn sent Lambo careening into the wall. "Oh... I must have tripped or something." The boy pushed himself up slowly, trying to keep some amount of his pride intact.

"I, Lambo-san, a Hitman from the Bovino Family - have just tripped!" Lambo proclaimed theatrically, his nose dripping with blood. Tsuna felt bad for the boy - he was trying so hard to get himself noticed. Even though he was annoying, she understood what it was like to be ignored.

"Anyway," Reborn said evenly, passing the paper back to the brunette. "Try the problem using the new formula."

"But - " Tsuna protested, unable to take her eyes off Lambo. Reborn grabbed the explosive lever from before, a quiet threat burning in his eyes. The brunette pursed her lips, but started in on the problem anyway. As she worked though, Lambo continued introducing himself. Even naming his favorite food and showing off the souvenirs he'd gotten from Japan during his stay so far.

When that didn't seem to be getting him any attention he changed tact - showing off his different weapons instead. "Ohohohoho, what have we here?" Lambo unceremoniously tugged a cannon from his backpack. "The 10 Year Bazooka! People who are shot with this can, for five minutes, switch places with their future self!"

Tsuna's eyes snapped up. Was he joking? There was not way such a thing could exist without anyone knowing about it. Lambo, sensing he had someone's interest, stuck out his tongue and shoved the cannon back into his bag. But as he did, something else rolled out.

Curiously, Lambo picked it up, and Tsuna's eyes widened as she realized what it was - balancing precariously between his tiny hands was a grenade. An actual grenade.

"Uh - Reborn - you might really want to look this time," the brunette told the Hitman warily. Murderous intent gleamed in Lambo's eyes as he released the clip on the grenade and dove at Reborn from behind. Not even turning to look, Reborn sent the other boy flying through the open window.

In the distance there was an explosion, but even that didn't seem to phase Reborn. "So, did you finish working the question?" Not sure how to respond, Tsuna stared blankly at the Assassin.

"Did you really have to go that far?" she asked incredulously, shaking her head. "You know him though don't you?"

Reborn arced an eyebrow at his student. "No, I don't. Either way, he's from such an insignificant Mafia group as the Bovino Family. I don't associate with those of a lower rank."

"Why do you spend so much time with me then?" Tsuna challenged halfheartedly. "I'm just a normal person."

The Hitman only regarded her with an amused grin.

Reborn may not be normal, but when she actually thought about it Tsuna wasn't so sure she was normal either.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

After the explosion outside her window, Tsuna had hoped she had seen the last of Lambo. Unfortunately for her though, Nana had all but offered to adopt the little bastard. So, when her mother had left her to eat dinner with the psychotic Home Tutor and the idiot sent to kill him Tsuna just knew the night was long from over.

"Maybe you should eat something, Lambo," Tsuna attempted to break the awkward silence. Between Reborn blissfully munching on pasta and Lambo sweating bullets, the tension could be cut with a knife. Lambo seemed to have the same idea actually - as he picked up said utensil, and hurled it across the table.

"Die, Reborn!" Lambo exclaimed, grinning stupidly as the blade whizzed through the air.

Tsuna had to admit it was actually a good throw, and under normal circumstances would hit Reborn - if he wasn't, you know, Reborn.

With the simple lift of his fork, Reborn rebounded the knife back across the table. Deadly precise, the blade lodged itself in the middle of the boy's forehead. As if in shock, Lambo glanced up at the now blood soaked knife handle. How the hell was he still alive?... An explosion, he might've been able to avoid dying to, but a knife between the eyes?

"Ummm, do you need some h-help with that?" Tsuna stood up hesitantly, afraid to startle the curiously still alive boy. Dazed, Lambo pushed away from the table, mumbling to himself as he stumbled to his backpack. The brunette wondered what he could possibly find in the bag to help with the whole _knife-stuck-in-forehead_ situation, but decided not to question it.

Just as Tsuna reached Lambo, he dragged the cannon from before out and aimed it at himself. Before she could do anything to stop him, he pulled the trigger, igniting an explosion of smoke. As the billowing tendrils dissipated they gave way to a new figure - a much taller one.

Standing where Lambo had been not even moments before was a boy around Tsuna's age - maybe older.

Then she remembered what Lambo had called the cannon earlier.

The boy's hair was dark, and wily like Lambo's, but that wasn't where the similarities ended. This was either Lambo ten years older, or his long lost brother.

"L-Lambo?" Tsuna called out hesitantly.

"Yo, Tsu-him... Tsu-cha... Young 10th Vongola!" Lambo corrected himself sheepishly. The older Lambo took a step closer to Tsuna, and leaned in to get a look at her. Despite herself, the closeness made her heart flutter chest. "They weren't lying when they said you used to dress like this. I almost completely forgot," older Lambo whispered, shaking his head in disbelief.

Tsuna's stomach dropped. _Did older Lambo know her secret? If so - how?_

The brunette's eyes quickly darted over to Reborn, who was still munching on his food, blissfully ignoring the exchange. Older Lambo's eyes followed her gaze, and he spotted Reborn.

"Hey Reborn," Lambo called over to the Hitman. "I'm different now, aren't I? It's me Lambo, the one you kept ignoring!" Reborn wasn't even remotely phased, in fact his dinner seemed vastly more interesting than the time traveling heart-throb. Tsuna cringed, hoping older Lambo would be mature enough to just let it go - like with most things though she was wrong. Very wrong.

"Looks like I'll just have to show you first hand how much I've improved these past ten years!" Lambo shouted manically, as he shoved two horns onto his head. "_Thunder Set_!" As he shouted this, thunder rolled in the distance, and the horns lit up as if they were suddenly made of lightning. "One million volts are stored in these horns. Now die, Reborn!" older Lambo charged, horns first, like a bull on a rampage. "_Elettrico Cornata_!"

Reborn, just seeming to have noticed that something was going on, lifted his fork in time to stab the poor bastard in the head. "Tol - er - ate!" older Lambo told himself, but tears still bubbled in his eyes like his younger counterpart. Unable to take it anymore, older Lambo scurried from the room, sobbing the whole way.

"Wait! I wanted to ask you about - " Tsuna trailed off, knowing that his time would be up soon anyway. Dejected, Tsuna flopped back down into her chair. Honestly, she wasn't sure what she was more surprised about: that time travel was a thing, that Reborn could easily fend off a one million volt attack with a fork, or that people in the future knew about her secret.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

The next day Tsuna was absolutely exhausted. After older Lambo had disappeared the night before, he left her with a ton of questions she had no way of answering. So, in the end she spent the entire night wondering about her future, the Mafia, and above all else - her identity.

When she actually sat down and thought about it, Tsuna knew so very little about herself. Of course she knew the person she pretended to be, but when that was taken away all that was left was a cross-dressing girl with boy problems. A part of her wanted to remind herself that it wasn't her fault that she became this way, but it was hard not to feel so... inadequate.

"Yo, Tsuna!" Yamamoto greeted said brunette, pulling her from her thoughts. Tsuna blinked lazily at the taller guy and muttered a quick greeting back. "Woah, you okay? You look tired," Yamamoto leaned in close to inspect her face, which sent jolts of adrenaline down her spine. "You even have bags under your eyes."

"Thanks," Tsuna replied sarcastically, shying away from his gaze. Despite how adamant she was on keeping Yamamoto from getting involved in the Mafia world, she couldn't deny that she wanted to confide in him. But that would involve explaining how another Hitman was staying under her roof, and how said Hitman had the ability to switch places with his future self. If she told Yamamoto that he'd either try to help, or never talk to her again - she wasn't sure which was worse at this point though.

"Well, as long as you weren't up late studying. I'd hate to lose my failure buddy," Yamamoto joked lightheartedly, elbowing her in the side. The contact sparked her body viciously, but she tried her best to ignore it.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

"So, I've decided to hold a _Family Entrance Exam_ to satisfy Gokudera," Reborn told Tsuna after school that day. The brunette opened her mouth to argue, but Reborn cut her off. "I already had Gokudera call Yamamoto out." Tsuna's eyes went wide. If Gokudera got serious with Yamamoto he would blow him up without a second thought.

"This is why I didn't want to get him involved!" Tsuna yelled over her shoulder, and took off towards the courtyard. She wasn't sure why, but she just knew Gokudera would take him there.

When Tsuna finally found the two boys, she heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness he's still in one piece," Tsuna said aloud, trying desperately to catch her breath.

"Juudaime!" Gokudera exclaimed at the sight of her, a look of concern immediately replacing the venomous one. "Are you alright?"

Tsuna gave him a thumbs up, still unable to get a decent amount of air.

"Who's that?" Yamamoto asked after a second, his eyes focused on something behind Tsuna. She glanced over her shoulder to see Reborn on a skateboard, holding a rope apparently tied around her waist. No wonder she felt so damned tired. "Is he your little brother?"

Reborn seemed annoyed at the comparison. "No I'm not Tsuna's little brother. I'm Reborn, the Vongola Family Hitman." Tsuna scrambled to think of a cover up, but before she could say anything Yamamoto beat her to it.

"I see," Yamamoto chuckled, as if a sudden realization hit him. "It must be troublesome to be a Hitman at such a young age."

"Not really," Reborn responded candidly. "You'll understand soon enough - as you'll be joining the Vongola Family too."

"H-hey!" Tsuna sputtered, waving her hands around ineffectively. "Don't listen to him, Yamamoto-kun!"

Yamamoto tilted his head, a lazy smile on his lips. "Come on, he's just a kid. Cut him some slack. I'm sure you played Cops and Robbers when you were at that age."

Tsuna's mouth dropped open. Yamamoto actually believed this was some sort of Mafia game. Before she had the chance to even consider correcting him Reborn hopped onto Yamamoto's shoulder. "The 10th Head of the Family is Tsuna," Reborn announced, like he was naming her some kind of captain for a game.

"Now that's a good choice," Yamamoto agreed, then a serious look crossed his features. "If Tsuna is the leader, then let me in this Vongola Family too."

"You don't know what you're agreeing to," Tsuna mumbled, but she could see it in his eyes that he had made up his mind. She wasn't exactly sure why Yamamoto was so passionate about joining, but she oddly felt like it had something to do with her.

"So, what do I do first?" Yamamoto asked excitedly, the intense look from before completely gone. Reborn then explained about the supposed _Family Entrance Exam_ he made up, but Yamamoto didn't seem to get the picture that when Reborn warned of the possibility of death he meant it.

"Now let's begin," Reborn said with a slightly manic grin. "First off, you'll be dodging knives!" Faster than Tsuna's eyes could even follow, Reborn hurled a handful of blades at Yamamoto. As if on reflexes alone, the raven haired boy dodged at the last second.

"Yamamoto! Are you okay?" Tsuna demanded, careful not to get too close to him. The boy only chuckled in response.

"I'm fine, they're just toys after all, right?" Yamamoto asked innocently. Tsuna raised her eyebrows at him. How could he seriously still believe this was a game?

"As the Boss, you should set a better example!" Reborn admonished, pulling out another set of knives. The brunette gulped, and started running away before he had the chance to paint her a red smile.

"Good idea, Tsuna!" Yamamoto shouted as he caught up with her. "Let's make it a race to see who passes." Tsuna sent him an incredulous look, but found herself only staring. With every blade that seemed to come his way, Yamamoto ducked or shied out of the way just in time. Of course, baseball would have trained his reflexes but this was ridiculous. Even injured, Yamamoto was in better shape than Tsuna was.

Aside from being unable to keep up with his significantly longer stride, the brunette already found herself getting tired from their little sprinting session. Being so close to another boy didn't help her health much either though."Those toys sure do look real!" Yamamoto exclaimed as he dodged another blade.

_That's because they are! _Tsuna wanted to shout, but if he really did believe this was still a game she had no reason to complain.

"Next weapon is a bow-gun!" Reborn announced, suddenly in front of the two of them. Skidding to a stop, they quickly pivoted and began sprinting the other way. A sudden flurry of bolts whizzed around the two, and black dots swam across the girl's vision. Due to the dizziness overtaking her she barely even noticed when Lambo suddenly took the stage.

The missiles he shot however, caught her attention. That on top of Reborn's switch to a sub-machine gun and Gokudera's joining in the festivities turned the entire courtyard into a war zone. If Gokudera's shennanegains the other day didn't upset the prefects this definitely would...

As Tsuna continued to dodge the best she could, the world began to undulate around her. Being so close to Yamamoto while her adrenaline was pumping this much was not a good mix. Darkness threatened to consume her vision, then suddenly the ground rushed up to meet her.

"Tsuna!" she heard Yamamoto cry out before a wave of unconsciousness crashed over her.

******-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

"Juudaime!" Gokudera's panicked voice was the first thing Tsuna heard when she came to. Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered what happened, but found herself unable to focus. For some reason her body was burning and twitching violently.

"I don't know what's wrong with him!" Yamamoto shouted, from somewhere close by. Tsuna's body continued to spasm, thrashing against open air. Yamamoto let out a hiss of pain, and before she knew it Tsuna felt herself falling. Solid ground hit her square in the back, subsequently knocking the wind out of her. She yelped at the sudden contact, but for some reason relief instantly seeped back into her system.

"You fucking idiot!" Gokudera's enraged voice sounded closer now, but Tsuna still found herself unable to open her eyes. "No way you're going to be in the Family if you can't even protect Juudaime."

"W-wait," Tsuna croaked feebly, her voice sounding a million miles away. Finally able to pry her eyes open she noticed the two boys standing above her. Yamamoto was delicately holding his injured wrist in his other hand, while Gokudera had the taller boy by the collar.

"Juudaime!" Gokudera rushed to her side, the other boy completely forgotten. "Are you alright?"

Tsuna quickly tried to sit up, but the action only seemed to make her dizzy all over again. Frustrated, she laid her head back down and closed her eyes. "I'm just _peachy_," she stated after a moment.

"Tsuna - " Yamamoto trailed off, guilt crossing his features.

"Don't apologize," the brunette told him curtly. "You saved my life... I think." Gokudera opened his mouth to argue, but something in her eyes must have warned him otherwise. "It wasn't anyone's fault. I-I passed out on my own."

Despite how much she wanted to console her friends, their closeness was making her stomach broil all over again. "Please," she strained, closing her eyes tight to hold back any tears. "Can you guys please just... leave me alone for a minute?"

The two boys nodded solemnly in turn, going there separate ways but not fully leaving. Tsuna took deep breaths, grasping for control of her body. It wasn't fair. For once in her life she actually wanted to be around other guys, yet her own body wouldn't let her...

Unable to take lying down anymore, Tsuna struggled into a standing position. Everything still felt pretty hollow, but she was confident she could move without passing out again. "Yamamoto-kun," the girl called out as she dragged herself over to the raven haired boy. When he looked up at her, his eyebrows were furrowed, as if he was deep in thought.

Tsuna couldn't help cracking a small grin. Thinking deeply and Yamamoto Takeshi just didn't seem to mix. "I'm sorry about your arm," Tsuna apologized before he could say anything.

"No - I - I should have pulled you out of the way sooner," Yamamoto glowered down at his feet, which only made Tsuna feel worse.

"You literally picked me up and carried me away from harm," Tsuna shook her head, recalling what happened when she first came to. "You did more than enough for me. Honestly, I should be apologizing to you. If I hadn't passed out so abruptly, your arm wouldn't be hurt again... Well that was my fault to begin with too, wasn't it?"

Yamamoto's eyes shot up in surprise. "Tsuna," he said simply, at a loss for words.

"You don't owe me anything. Just forget about it, and go get your arm checked out," Tsuna sighed, still feeling pretty miserable. After everything she was just causing Yamamoto one problem after the other.

"My arm is fine," Yamamoto reassured her, energy returning to his features. "I think I just tweaked it a little." Tsuna lowered her shoulders in relief - she had been terrified she might have ended his baseball career completely. "And Tsuna, I won't let you get hurt like that ever again if I can prevent it."

A fierce blush spread across her face, but before she could say anything Gokudera showed up out of nowhere. "I have to admit. If you hadn't helped Juudaime as much as you did, I doubt he'd still be in one piece," Gokudera grasped the raven haired by his collar again, but this time it was out of respect rather than anger. "Since you protected him, I have no choice but to accept you as part of the Family. But - Juudaime's right arm is still me."

There was a flash in Yamamoto's eyes and the two instantly began to argue over what body part they thought the other was. After a rather long debate, which ended with one of them being her nose hair, Tsuna was ready to go home. Plus, she really didn't want to be here when the Disciplinary Committee found the place.

Yamamoto left first however. After a few minutes his wrist felt better, so he was going to go attempt baseball practice. Tsuna worried about him pushing himself too far again, but he promised to just watch if it bothered him. "By the way," Yamamoto said as he hefted his duffel bag onto his shoulder. "The toys these days sure are realistic. You should be more careful with them."

As he walked away, Tsuna stared after him, her mouth agape. After _all_ that he still believed everything was just a game...

******-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the late update... Kind of ran into some road blocks along the way this chapter. Sometimes it's as easy as just sitting down and saying "_I'm going to write now!_" But other times, no matter how long I stare at the blank word doc I can't get started. I know this wasn't the best chapter either, but I hope you enjoyed it at least a little bit :(

(P.S. not sure if it's hugely obvious or anything, but I'm basing this story primarily off the manga rather than the anime. I don't know how different the two are considering I've never watched the anime. But if something is different, as in catch phrases or terms, that's why.)

Thanks for reading so far everyone! See you again soon ಌ


	6. Summer Love

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Katekyo Hitman Reborn_, it belongs to _Amano Akira_.**

**CHAPTER SIX:**

_**Summer Love**_

Usually Summer was Tsuna's favorite time of year, despite the awkward bathing suit mishaps, but so far it wasn't exactly going as well as she had hoped. Being the victim of attempted murder via poisoned soda would put anyone in a rather bad mood though.

"Reborn!" Tsuna called as she threw open the front door. Unsurprisingly, the Hitman didn't respond, and she soon found him perched on the window sill in her room. "I assume you didn't hear me?" she sighed, plopping her bag down on the floor. The toddler didn't turn at her voice, his head still poked out the open window. "Hey, you alive over there?"

"Hm?" Reborn asked, swiveling to face her. When he did however, every inch of his skin was crawling with large beetles. Tsuna screeched, scrambling to cover her eyes.

"What the hell? Do you emit tree sap or something?" the brunette sputtered, retreating to a far corner away from the creatures.

"They collect information for me in the Summer months," Reborn stated as they flew away. "However, it seems Bianchi is in town."

"Bianchi?..." Tsuna trailed off, her mind wandering back to what happened not even fifteen minutes ago.

Tsuna had just been walking back home from the convenience store minding her own business, when out of nowhere a foreign woman on a bike flew by and tossed her a drink. Luckily, it had been hot to the touch and the brunette dropped it, but the second the can hit the concrete it turned toxic. Even all the birds in the vicinity dropped dead to the ground. Which of course made for a particularly odd situation when people walking by saw her standing over their avian carcasses. Apparently now she was a hentai _and_ a bird murderer. How lovely.

Before Reborn could explain who Bianchi actually was though, there was a knock at the door. As if on cue, when Tsuna opened the door she found none other than the woman from before, a large pizza box in her hands. "Thanks for waiting," her voice rang, sounding about as beautiful as she looked. "Here's your Vongola Pizza."

Bianchi quickly pulled on a gas mask, and cracked open the box. The smoke instantly choked Tsuna, bringing the brunette to her knees. The girl gripped her throat, but the noxious air was already seeping into her lungs. _Was she seriously going to die to a box of rotten pizza?_

Just as Tsuna's eyes closed from lack of oxygen, Reborn finally decided to intervene. "Ciaossu, Bianchi!" Reborn greeted, as he shot the rancid pie from her hands.

Then Bianchi explained how she had come all the way from Italy just to bring him back - even if that meant murdering his newest student... well _especially_ if that meant murdering his newest student.

"I'll be back after the 10th is murd - er - dead," Bianchi wiped away a tear before darting out the open door, leaving Tsuna to stare after her with a mix of fear, awe and confusion.

"So... that's Bianchi, huh?" Tsuna asked after a beat. "She sure seems to like you a lot."

Reborn turned to her with a sly smirk on his lips. "I'm popular with women," he reminded her. "Bianchi was my fourth lover." Tsuna rolled her eyes at the toddler. There was no way he understood what he was saying... and even if by some twist it was true she dared not imagine how it was possible.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

Tsuna wiped the sweat from her drenched brow. Even this early in the morning it was hot out. As much as she hated the heat, it reminded her that break was just around the corner. Usually breaks from school allowed her to take a breather and not have to worry about upholding specific appearances. But with Reborn, and the intermittent stays of Lambo, she wasn't quite sure if she'd get the time off she desperately needed.

Lately, she never seemed to have a moment to herself. When she was at home, Reborn or Lambo would terrorize her. At school Gokudera always seemed to be a step behind her, which on more than one occasion scared the pants off her... _literally_. Gokudera had an odd way of being there whenever she changed for P.E. though she was pretty sure that was because he thought he was protecting her from bullies or something. Which of course only seemed to fire up the rather persistent group of fan girls that apparently '_shipped_' the two, whatever that meant. Despite the heat, Tsuna shivered just thinking about them.

Aside from just Gokudera, Yamamoto was attached at her hip as well. Not as suffocatingly as Gokudera, but he always managed to just show up wherever she was. As much as it annoyed her, and as she found out the hard way - made her throw up, she had her very own body guards. Ever since the Family Entrance Exam, not only were they passionate about protecting her they were also constantly trying to one-up each other. It created for interesting school days, but more often than not it only made her miserable.

Tsuna hated to admit it, but she was actually starting to like having the guys around. Over time she had hoped that maybe being around them would dull her reactions, but the more time she spent around them the worse they seemed to get. Passing out was only the tip of the iceberg...

"Oh, is that you, Tsuna-kun?" Kyoko asked, pulling Tsuna from her thoughts. Tsuna beamed at the sight of the other girl. It had been awhile since she had been around company that didn't make her sick.

"Good morning, Kyoko-chan. It's nice to see you," Tsuna couldn't keep the giddiness out of her voice. Even though she considered Yamamoto and Gokudera friends, she could never fully relax around them. Albeit she couldn't really be herself around Kyoko either, it honestly felt amazing to be able to talk to someone without having to stifle a mental break down the entire time.

"Today we're making Onigiri in Home Economics, if you'd like I could gi - " Kyoko trailed off, cut off by the shrill sound of a bicycle bell. Tsuna whipped around just in time to see the beautiful woman from yesterday pedaling furiously towards them. With a quick flick of her wrist, Bianchi sent two poisonous soda cans at the girls before flying off.

Good news - Tsuna got her bag up in time to fend off the attack. Bad news - her entire bookbag melted away including all of her homework from the weekend. "Well that's fair," Tsuna sighed dejectedly. Since barging into her life, Bianchi had not only tried to kill her three times and further ruined her reputation, but now she was including Kyoko in her attacks? This was getting out of hand.

"Did you know who that was?" Kyoko asked after a moment, completely unfazed by the corroded bookbag.

"Not really," Tsuna replied, trying to hide the evidence. "You go on ahead though, I have something to do." Smoke was coming from the cans, and Tsuna really didn't want Kyoko to be around when the birds started dropping. Kyoko nodded obliviously, and waved before going on her way.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

The first half of Tsuna's day went rather well, well for her at least. The guys hadn't bothered her particularly much so far, and everyone seemed more preoccupied with preparing for the whole Onigiri exchange anyway. Tsuna couldn't lie though, she was actually somewhat excited herself. Kyoko was going to be giving her a present - it would almost be like they were best friends. Not that she knew what it was like to have a best friend... but she always assumed they gave each other things... at least every once in awhile anyway.

Despite how happy everyone seemed about the event though, Tsuna couldn't help getting irritated at how sexist it was. The girls had to spend almost an entire class period making the boys something to eat, while they just sat around like a bunch of baby birds waiting to be fed. Tsuna tried her best to disassociate herself from the boys, but it wasn't like she could just leave. So she settled for hiding in the far back, as far away as she could get.

Of course she forgot about her _body guards_ though. "Yo, Tsuna!" Yamamoto shouted over the raucous group of boys. "They're about to start passing out the Onigiri. You not joining in?"

Tsuna rested her chin on her desk. "I'll join in," she mumbled. Aside from being irritated by the guys, she honestly just wanted to avoid having another break down. Sure, they were becoming a part of her every day life, but that didn't mean she actually enjoyed them. Before she met Reborn and the rest, she rarely had an attack. But, now she had a few every day. A part of her wondered how none of them noticed, but if they weren't going to ask about it she didn't feel too inclined to enlighten them.

Sighing, Tsuna pushed away from the table and made her way back over to the throng of testosterone with Yamamoto and Gokudera. Chills instantly wracked her system, and she balled her fists in an attempt to quell them. _Please let this end quickly._ Tsuna chanted to herself.

After another few minutes the event began, and Gokudera was instantly swarmed by fan girls. Yamamoto and Tsuna wished him luck before ducking out of the way. Among the chaos that suddenly erupted from the room, Tsuna searched desperately for Kyoko. She didn't want a bunch of other guys to take them before she even got the chance to try one. When she did find the school idol however, the last person she wanted to see was right behind her.

With a wink and a sleight of hand, Bianchi switched out Kyoko's Onigiri with obviously poisonous ones. "Hey, wait a minute!" Tsuna shouted after her, but it was too late - Bianchi was already gone.

"Oh, would you like one, Tsuna?" Kyoko asked, lifting her plate of noxious food. Tsuna stared at it wide-eyed, not sure what to say. How the hell did Kyoko not notice they'd been switched out? After a moment Kyoko's face dropped, disappointed. "Do you not like salmon?"

"I-it's not th-that," Tsuna stuttered, feeling bad for hurting Kyoko's feelings. If she ate them Tsuna was pretty sure she'd die, but she really did want to make Kyoko happy.

"If you don't want them, Juudaime, I'll try one," Gokudera said suddenly from beside her.

"Oh, me too then," Yamamoto seconded. Tsuna looked from one boy to the other in disbelief. How did _none_ of them notice they weren't normal Onigiri? They were freaking purple!

Just as the boys were about to take a bite Tsuna couldn't take it anymore and slapped the rice balls from their hands. The contact spiked her blood pressure, but she didn't care. She wasn't about to let the only people she could even remotely call friends die.

Tsuna sighed with relief, but the moment she relaxed something pierced her stomach, and then her forehead.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

By the time Tsuna had control over herself again she had the worst stomach ache of her life. Sure getting shot in the stomach by the Dying Will bullet allowed her to eat a vast amount of food, including poisonous ones, but that didn't make the food disappear. No, she still had to digest it all. As if that wasn't enough, everyone took the whole exchange as Tsuna proclaiming her love for Kyoko. Tsuna felt kind of bad about it, since she didn't want to lead the girl on, but how exactly was she supposed to deny it?

_Oh sorry, my Home Tutor, who just so happens to be a Hitman, shot me with a bullet that made me eat all of your Onigiri. _Tsuna shook her head, there was no way that conversation would go over well.

So, Tsuna did what she did best - ran away, and pretended nothing happened.

******-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

With the start of Summer break Tsuna had hoped that she finally might get some peace and quiet, but the universe seemed to be particularly cruel this year. Especially when Tsuna found yet another annoying guest staying at her house.

"Bianchi!" Tsuna exclaimed as she opened her bedroom door, to find the woman serving a rather dangerous looking meal to Reborn. "Why are you here?"

"For love," Bianchi replied, her voice thick as she looked at her _beloved_.

"For work," Reborn corrected, somehow oblivious to the woman's adoration - either that or he just chose to ignore it. "I thought to have her tutor you partly."

"Reborn needs me," Bianchi swooned dreamily. Tsuna stared at the two with quirked eyebrows. How was it even possible for two people to misunderstand each other that much?

"Anyway, why do you want someone that's tried to kill me multiple times already to tutor me?" Tsuna demanded incredulously. Bianchi only looked at her like she was a poor, depraved soul.

"You're just a child. You wouldn't understand the complexities of a loving relationship," Bianchi smiled mischievously before reaching for the door. "I'll be downstairs preparing your lesson for Home Economics." With one last longing glance at Reborn, she ducked out the door, and Tsuna swore there were tears in her eyes.

"Loving relationship," Tsuna repeated under her breath. How exactly does one have a loving relationship with a toddler? Tsuna shook her head, she was pretty sure she didn't want to know. The brunette opened her mouth, ready to protest Reborn's decision, when a familiar sound caught her attention.

"Juudaime!" Gokudera called from somewhere downstairs. The brunette's eyes widened, and she rushed to meet him at the door. "Hey, Juudaime, I got some watermelon, and thought you might like a slice or two." He lifted the melon hanging in his hand for emphasis. Despite herself, Tsuna blushed. Gokudera went out of his way to do something so considerate for her. But, she really didn't want to involve him in the Bianchi situation. If she was willing to attack Kyoko just to get to her, Tsuna feared what Bianchi would do to him.

"That was really sweet of you," Tsuna smiled sheepishly. "But there's kind of something going on at the moment." It wasn't like she was lying or anything, but she did feel bad for denying him when he had been so nice.

However, Gokudera wasn't even remotely deterred, in fact he seemed rather fired up for some reason. "If there's some kind of trouble, I can take care of it for you," he reassured her as he took a drag of his cigarette. Gokudera was instantly radiating with anger, the lightheartedness from before completely gone. Tsuna grimaced nervously, that definitely was not what she had intended to happen.

"You don't have to worry about it," the brunette tried to calm him back down. There really was trouble, but he didn't need to know that. As much as she liked the guy, she really just didn't want to be around him at the moment. Summer break was supposed to be her - well - _break_ from all of the stress that school brought her, including Gokudera.

When Tsuna glanced back up at Gokudera though, he was staring blankly at something behind her. The silver haired boy was even visibly shaking. "Uh - are you okay?" Tsuna asked hesitantly.

"O-onee-san?" Gokudera stuttered, in complete shock.

"Hayato!" Bianchi exclaimed from behind Tsuna, sounding just as surprised.

Then Gokudera's stomach let out a sickening gurgle, bringing him to his knees. Before Tsuna could do anything to help him, Gokudera excused himself then sprinted back through the open door - his watermelon shattered and forgotten.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

When Tsuna finally found Gokudera he was still doubled over in pain. "Hey, Gokudera-kun," the girl said as she approached his pained form. Hanging limply from her hand was a new watermelon she had bought on her way over. "I - uh - got you a new watermelon, but I can see you're still having some stomach problems." The brunette shrugged, setting the melon down as she sat next to the other boy.

"N-no," Gokudera struggled, still clutching his abdomen. "Thank you for th-thinking of me, Juudaime." Tsuna beamed at him, despite the nausea that suddenly took over her from being so close to him.

"I'm sorry about what happened," Tsuna apologized, locking her fingers nervously in her lap. She hadn't realized the two were related - much less that they had a bad relationship. Reborn had said they were only half siblings though.

"It's alright, Juudaime," Gokudera sighed, finally looking a little better. Then he told her about how him and Bianchi had drifted apart as children. Apparently the poison cooking was a natural talent, and he just so happened to have been her first test subject.

Tsuna and Gokudera both agreed that Bianchi needed to leave, but neither of them knew how to make her. "Hmmm, I think I have an idea," Gokudera mused after a moment. "She used to be really obsessed with her last boyfriend. If we can find another guy that looks like him, I'm sure she'd chase him till the ends of the earth." Tsuna rolled her eyes. Gokudera _really_ didn't understand women.

"I don't think that would work," she told him delicately. "Plus we don't even know what her ex-boyfriend looked like." For some reason Gokudera actually had a picture of Bianchi and her ex-boyfriend. Tsuna decided not to ask why, but when she saw the picture her mouth dropped open. She actually knew someone that looked nearly identical to her ex... how was that even possible?

Before the two could finish devising a plan, Tsuna's stomach snarled, threatening to heave free her breakfast. The brunette quickly dashed to a waste basket, then emptied stomach into it. "Woah, do you have a problem with Onee-san too, Juudaime?" Gokudera asked from behind her.

Black dots danced across Tsuna's vision and she tried her best to get control over herself again. "Yeah, Bianchi, _that's_ who I have a problem with."

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

Later that night, when Tsuna and Gokudera went through with their plan it failed - miserably. Not only did Bianchi still have _feelings_ for her ex... she was also apparently the one that killed him. Go figure.

"I hope future Lambo will be alright," Tsuna wondered offhandedly as his younger counterpart reappeared.

"Maybe with the medical skills in the future he can be saved... maybe," Reborn attempted to reassure his student, though he only managed to make her feel worse.

"Anyway," Gokudera changed the subject, as he lifted the watermelon Tsuna had bought for him earlier. "Let's have some watermelon!"

In the end, Reborn was actually the one to get rid of Bianchi. With his recent indulgence for Japanese Summer culture, he was apparently craving a rare eel that could only be found in a lake outside of town. Even though he wouldn't admit it, Tsuna knew deep down that Reborn did it for her and Gokudera.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

The rest of Tsuna's break went rather well actually. With Bianchi out of the house, and Reborn and Lambo preoccupied with their Summer activities she actually got some well needed alone time. Sure, that alone time consisted of reading manga and devouring popsicles, but hey alone time was alone time. So, when it was finally time to go back to school she was, to say the least, disappointed.

Still not used to being back on a school schedule again, Tsuna fruitlessly rubbed the exhaustion from her eyes. When she opened them however there was a girl balancing on the wall in front of Reborn. Tsuna raised her eyebrows at the strange girl. Whoever she was, she was actually rather cute. She had large doe eyes, and her dark hair was up in a petite whorl. Although, the odd position she was balancing in kind of ruined her looks. Acting like a crazy person tended to do that.

"H-hello," the other girl greeted Reborn, a look of intense concentration on her face.

"Ciaossu!~" Reborn replied simply, unfazed by her odd appearance.

"My name is Miura Haru," she told him dreamily. Apparently, Reborn recognized her as Tsuna's neighbor, which of course sent her over the moon. "Would you... be my friend?"

"Sure," Reborn said simply, with a slight smirk.

"Hahiiii!~" Haru squealed, as she jumped down onto the road in front of Tsuna. The girl then proceeded to cheer like she just won the lottery. Tsuna glanced from her to Reborn, and surreptitiously began to scoot away. This was getting a little too weird for Tsuna's tastes - and she'd seen a lot of weird lately. "Can I give you a hug?" Haru asked Reborn after a moment.

Reborn regarded her with a warning look. "Don't touch me so easily," the toddler quickly pulled out a handgun. "Because I'm a Hitman." Tsuna turned to try and explain that he was joking, but when she did her cheek ran into something hard - really hard.

Tsuna's mind slurred to catch up with what was happening. Apparently, this Haru girl punched her in the jaw. Why you ask? Because Tsuna had corrupted a poor, innocent angel with her rotten heart. "I th-think there must be a misunderstanding," Tsuna stuttered, still reeling from the hit. Rather than appealing to her reasonable side, Tsuna only made Haru angrier.

"You're not allowed to spend any more time with Reborn, you got that?" Haru shouted, grabbing onto Tsuna's collar. "You're a bad influence on him."

"Fine," Tsuna spit back, but Reborn disagreed. "Why don't you explain?... I'm not having any luck here."

"It's my responsibility to raise Tsuna to be a 10th Mafia Boss," Reborn told her, as if it didn't sound utterly ridiculous. "I can't be separated from him until then."

For some reason, Haru punched Tsuna a second time, looking even more filled with rage than before. Tsuna didn't bother to listen to the explanation this time either - she was a little more preoccupied with the fact that another girl had punched in the face... twice.

"Well, bye!" Haru said suddenly, her mood completely shifted. The strange girl waved before sprinting away.

"I feel like I was just in a hit and run," Tsuna mumbled, rubbing her cheek.

"You guys got along really well," Reborn complimented. "Like an old married couple."

"Thanks," Tsuna retorted sarcastically. "But I already told you I'm not interested in girls." Reborn gave her an amused smile, but didn't say anything more. His silence was enough - like always he still didn't believe her.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

The next day on her way home from school, Tsuna ran into Haru yet again. Tsuna didn't think it was possible, but Haru managed to look even stranger today than she did yesterday. Haru stood there in a full suit of armor, with a hockey stick in one hand and a biker's helmet in the other. "Good morning," Haru greeted Tsuna, her voice ragged with exhaustion. There were deep bags under the girl's eyes and she looked about ready to fall over. "I stayed up all night, unable to sleep due to all of the thoughts in my head."

"So you're wearing all this because you couldn't sleep...?" Tsuna trailed off, not understanding where Haru was going with all of this.

"No," Haru replied flatly. "That would make me a complete idiot." Tsuna bit back her tongue, despite how easily Haru made it to form a comeback. "If Reborn-chan really is a Hitman, then that means you're actually going to become a Mafia Boss. If you're really that strong, then I'll believe Reborn-chan and won't complain about anything in his life." Haru slipped on her helmet, then slammed the hockey stick down.

Tsuna barely dodged in time. "I'll never be a Mafia Boss," Tsuna tried to explain, sidestepping all of Haru's haphazard attacks.

"So you're toying with Reborn-chan after all!" Haru challenged through the helmet. Before Tsuna could explain any further, Gokudera showed up out of nowhere. For the first time since the Family Entrance Exam Tsuna was actually somewhat happy to have him as her body guard of sorts. That was of course, until he pulled out several sticks of dynamite.

"Isn't that a little extreme?!" Tsuna shouted, but it was too late - the bombs were already lit and flying towards the other girl. "Crap!" Tsuna darted over to the railing, having just realized they were on a bridge. Luckily, Haru had fallen into the water, but then Tsuna remembered the girl was wearing a suit of armor.

"You're safe now," Gokudera proclaimed proudly, not even caring for the girl struggling in the water below.

Before Tsuna could even dignify him with a response, Haru started screaming for help. "We've got to save her," Tsuna said as she gripped the railing, ready to jump it despite her fear of heights.

"Good idea," Reborn agreed, pulling out a gun. Tsuna closed her eyes, ready to get shot in the head once again.

******-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

"Thank you so much," Haru said from under the towel covering her face. Tsuna was just relieved that the girl made it out okay. Even if she was annoying that didn't mean Tsuna wanted her to die. Plus, it was a girl, Tsuna didn't mind helping a girl. Maybe the two of them could even become friends some day. Well, at least Tsuna wouldn't have to explain the whole Mafia, Hitman, Boss thing.

"If you ever threaten Juudaime again though," Gokudera seethed through his cigarette. "You will no longer exist. I'll make sure of it." Haru didn't seem to hear him however. In fact, she couldn't take her eyes off Tsuna's chest.

"A-are you a girl?" Haru asked after a moment. Tsuna glanced down at her binding, which was soaked all the way through. She quickly crossed her arms, partly to hide the evidence, and partly to look defensive.

"No, I'm not a girl," Tsuna glared down at her feet, it was always easier to lie when she didn't have to look at the person. "I have a chest problem so it helps me breathe and keeps me from getting sore."

"Yeah," Gokudera chimed in. "How dare you bring up such a sensitive subject to Juudaime?" Tears welled up in Haru's eyes, making Tsuna feel guilty, but then the girl started talking again.

"Even though you have such a serious injury, you dove in to save me," Haru admired, starry-eyed. Then she proceeded to quote the different things Tsuna said while in Dying Will mode, even miming out certain parts. Before Tsuna could complain, Haru went on. "It was so wonderful - the way you jumped in place of Reborn-chan," she swooned, her face beat red. "My heart is pounding. I think Haru has fallen in love with Tsuna-san."

Tsuna's mouth dropped open. Just seconds ago Haru thought she was a girl, but now she was in love with her? "W-wait! I thought you were in love with Reborn," Tsuna tried desperately to remind her. Tsuna really didn't want to lead Haru on, she'd already made Kyoko think she had feelings for her. It seemed cruel enough to do that to one girl - but two?

"All Haru wants now is to be hugged by Tsuna-san," Haru said, as if that completely explained everything. Tsuna stared at the girl in awe - she liked it better when Haru was punching her in the face.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Hello once again everyone. I'm starting to see a bit of decreasing interest in this story, and although I'm not quite sure why I'll try my best to make things more interesting. At this point in the story it's a little difficult to change much when it's primarily just character introductions. Plus, I want to make things as realistic and true to the universe as possible. Considering Tsuna is masquerading as a boy at the moment there's no reason that the actions themselves would be changed. Reactions and interactions maybe, but not actions. I can't convince you guys to wait through the boring parts, but I promise it will get better.

Thank you to those that have followed thus far though. You guys keep me going :)

(P.S. I'm considering changing the name of the story. Not sure if I'm going to or not since I don't want to confuse people, but the current title was really only made because I couldn't think of anything at the time. So I used the first song I could think of... Oh well.)

See you again soon... hopefully ಌ


	7. Familiar Faces

**Disclaimer: The only thing I own is a PT Cruiser... her name is Petey**

**CHAPTER SEVEN:**

_**Familiar Faces**_

Starting the morning by being shot in the head had it's perks.

For starters you get to school on time. Then of course, you're completely woken up - no pesky daydreaming to get in your way. Forget about worrying over your appearance, because really, who needs clothes anyway? In situations like this, positivity is truly a virtue.

Too bad Tsuna tended to be a pessimist.

"Damnit, Reborn," the brunette hissed under her breath. Sure, she had been running late, but that was most definitely not a good reason to use the Dying Will bullet. Especially considering her clothes had been left nearly three blocks away from the school. Luckily though, after being shot so many times by the damn thing Tsuna had finally found a way to get around the whole _uncovered anatomy_ problem.

Just to be sure it had worked, Tsuna glanced down at her chest. Rather than seeing the binding, like she half expected, it was covered by a tight cami. Sadly, normal tank tops only got torn away, but the tighter ones stayed just fine after the reincarnation process. Of course Tsuna still expected people to ask why her chest was so lumpy, but this was definitely a significant improvement.

"Looks like I've finally found a good one!" a voice from somewhere behind Tsuna exclaimed happily. The brunette whipped around to see an older boy with white hair and intense silver eyes. In fact, those eyes were staring intently at her, like she was the most amazing thing in the entire world. "Your power and stamina are much better than what I've heard! You have passion too!"

The boy hopped to his feet, reaching out to place his hands on Tsuna's shoulders. The brunette quickly dodged out of the way though - but that only seemed to make his eyes burn even brighter. "Sawada Tsuna! You _must_ join the Boxing Club!"

"How do you even know who I am?" Tsuna wondered aloud. It was rare for people to know her by her actual name, and even more so for an upperclassman. The older boy only responded with a punch to her arm, which hurt - a lot. Not to mention it sent her blood pressure through the roof.

"Of course I know you!" he shouted, like it was obvious. "My sister talks about you _all_ the time."

"Your sister?" Tsuna couldn't see any resemblance between him and anyone she knew. The only girls Tsuna was even remotely close to were Kyoko and, albeit unwillingly, Haru. The brunette arced a brow. Did this mean she had yet another female admirer?

"Onii-chan!" a familiar voice shouted from somewhere in the distance.

"Everything okay, Kyoko?!" the boy screamed back. Momentarily stunned by the noise, Tsuna didn't even realize which Kyoko he was talking to until the school idol skidded to a halt in front of her.

"You dropped your bag on the street," Kyoko admonished her brother, as she deposited the comically large duffel onto his shoulder. "Oh! Tsuna-kun! Good morning," Kyoko bowed politely before glancing between her brother and the brunette. "Don't tell me you dragged Tsuna-kun all the way over here just to bother him about boxing."

Tsuna quirked a sheepish grin. Technically _she_ was the one that did the dragging.

"I did not!" Kyoko's brother denied vehemently. "Anyway! I've yet to properly introduce myself. My name is Sasagawa Ryohei! I'm the captain of the Boxing Club! My catchphrase is: _EXTREME_!" Tsuna stared at him incredulously, not even remotely sure how to respond. "And I welcome you to the club!"

"But I haven't said I'd - " Tsuna tried to protest, but Ryohei was already bounding away.

"I'll wait for you in the gym after school!" he shouted over his shoulder. Tsuna opened her mouth to call back, then decided better of it. He wasn't going to listen no matter what she said.

"I know he seems rowdy, but he means well," Kyoko told the brunette with an innocent grin. "Thank you though, Tsuna-kun. It's been awhile since I've seen Onii-chan so happy."

Tsuna heaved a sigh. Now there was no way she could turn him down - even if being around him made her skin crawl.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

"Hey, Sawada! I was waiting for you!" Ryohei greeted her enthusiastically the second she slid open the door to the gym.

Even though she knew for a fact she'd be unable to box, Tsuna had to find some way to turn him down. If she had outright not shown up Kyoko would have gotten upset. Honestly, the brunette had no other option - she would do just about anything to stay on Kyoko's good side.

Hell, even if Ryohei asked Tsuna to marry him she'd have a hard time saying no.

"Glad to see you could make it!" Ryohei clapped Tsuna on the shoulder, sending jolts down the length of her spine. "I've heard a lot about your Boxing skills! Just thinking about it is getting me _extremely_ pumped!"

Tsuna shuddered under his touch, before shaking her shoulder free. "I'm not quite sure what you're talking about... who told you that I could box though?" Tsuna heaved a sigh, already feeling ragged. Aside from Ryohei there were quite a few other guys in the gym as well. Unless she took care of this quickly something bad was bound to happen._  
_

"Quit joking around!" Ryohei laughed, though he somehow managed to make even laughter seem intense. "Of course Master PaoPao told me. He came all the way from Thailand when he heard you were considering getting back into boxing."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Tsuna closed her eyes irritably. How could he believe such an idiotic tale?

"Paon~!" a familiar voice squeaked. Tsuna groaned, peering up to see none other than Reborn perched on a corner post. The toddler was dressed as an old man in boxing shorts and an elephant hat. Ignoring the blatant fact that he was in fact a baby, how could anyone believe something so stupid?

"What are you doing here, Reborn?" Tsuna asked through gritted teeth. The brunette had been hoping to get this done with as fast as possible, but with Reborn in the mix things were bound to drag on to a beyond exhausting point.

"Obviously I'm here to watch a match between a Captain and the newest member," Reborn replied mischievously. Tsuna could see it in the Hitman's eyes. Aside from just wanting to generally torture her, he wanted to subject her to more Mafioso training. Not that she hugely minded, because as much as she hated to admit it she had fun - but this was neither the time nor the place.

Despite herself Tsuna was doing all she could just to stay standing. Her knees were shaking, and even her breathing was becoming erratic. At this point she was either going to pass out or have another panic attack. Honestly she hoped for the former, but it seemed rather ridiculous that she had to compare the two in the first place.

"A sparring match isn't a bad idea," Ryohei mused, ignorant to Tsuna's struggling.

Before Tsuna could argue, more familiar faces filed into the stifling hot gym.

"Good luck, Tsuna-kun!" Kyoko cheered happily, with Yamamoto and Gokudera in tow. Tsuna balked, feeling more pressure weighing down onto her shoulders. Of course she knew her friends were just trying to support her, but their showing up only made things worse - much worse. The brunette's stomach dropped, leaving nothing but a nagging burn in it's wake.

The next few seconds went by in a blur, and she soon found herself in boxing gear standing opposite of Ryohei in the ring. Around her the world began to shift and twist at odd angles. _Why were there two Ryoheis - and why were Yamamoto and Gokudera on the ceiling?_ Both were interesting questions, but the brunette barely had the time to ponder them before a sharp wave of pain crashed over her.

Gripping her jaw, Tsuna was finally able to focus again. She was in the middle of a sparring match, if she didn't do anything she'd get punched... again.

"Don't get careless, Sawada!" Ryohei shouted angrily, like she was letting him win or something. Little did he know she was_ a.)_ generally horrible at boxing and _b.)_ barely able to stand at the moment.

It wasn't like she could do much anyway. The only time Tsuna was even remotely able to stand a guy's presence was when she was in Dying Will Mode. But that hardly seemed like an intelligent option. The last time she went Dying Will Mode during a simple sparring match she had torn out the guy's hair and smacked his little playboy ass. Sure, Mochida had deserved it but the lack of control scared her.

What if she actually hurt Ryohei? Kyoko would hate her guts, and not to mention Yamamoto and Gokudera would think she was some violent beast. But if she just let Ryohei wail on her, she would have a panic attack or pass out before the match was even over.

Sensing her thoughts Reborn took aim and pulled the trigger. Except the one he hit was the voracious Boxing Captain. Blood splattered out as a bullet lodged itself in his forehead. "It'll be fair if you're both shot, right?" Reborn asked, an amused grin on his adorable face.

Rather than going into Dying Will Mode however, Ryohei stood up unfazed, a small flame flickering from the hole in his forehead. "You okay there, Sawada?" Ryohei asked the paralyzed form of Tsuna. The brunette stared at him with wide eyes. _Why wasn't he screaming and acting all crazy?_ Oh, yeah, that's what he always does...

Did that mean he was willing to die to win of his own volition? Tsuna didn't think it was possible, but someone was more passionate about their favorite sport than Yamamoto.

"Now, it's your turn," Reborn smirked, the excitement apparent in his voice.

Not even a second later Tsuna found herself flying backwards. But as she lied there dying all she could regret was her inability to deny Ryohei's request to join the club.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

In the end, despite not wanting to, Tsuna had completely throttled Ryohei. But rather than hating her for it the strange white haired boy had actually taken to revering her.

"I want you to join even more now, Sawada!" Ryohei exclaimed as he pushed up from the rubble of the wall he had been punched through. Who knew Tsuna's ineffectual, little fists could pack such a punch?

"I-I'd really rather not," Tsuna swayed on her feet. Since the beginning of their match an even larger crowd had formed around the ring. Even though some of them were cheering her name she couldn't quite allow herself to enjoy it. Blood pumping loudly in her ears, she bent down to one knee, unable to stand any longer.

"Tsuna!" Yamamoto shouted as he ducked under the ropes, Gokudera hot on his heels. "Are you alright?" Tsuna peered up at her friends through her lashes. The raven haired boy actually looked kind of cute when he was worried.

"If you did anything to Juudaime, I'll fucking kill you!" Gokudera spit at Ryohei. The older boy only arced his brows, already ready to take on the next challenge.

Before the fight could progress any farther Tsuna lifted up a hand to stop them. "It's not h-his fault. I'm a-actualy just not feeling well," the brunette stuttered as darkness began to consume her vision. As much as she wanted to protest, Yamamoto caught her just before the girl's face hit the floor.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

When Tsuna came to she was under the sheets of her bed, which seemed weird considering she hadn't slept in the thing since Reborn took up residence in her house. For once she didn't have _that_ nightmare either. If there was anything good to come from passing out cold it was that she actually got restful sleep. The perpetual dark circles that always accompanied her eyes would be grateful.

As if all of that wasn't weird enough there was a bubble of voices coming from downstairs. Lately with Bianchi and Lambo's intermittent stays the house always seemed to be in some sort of uproar but this was different - as if there was a party or something going on.

Curious, Tsuna unfurled herself from the warm cocoon of her bed and wished it a fond farewell. It would probably be awhile before she got to sleep in it again. Noticing that she was still in her tank top and boxers, the brunette slid into a pair of shorts and a loose graphic t-shirt.

Slowly but surely Tsuna made her way down the stairs, like always her body was still rather shell shocked from passing out. But when she finally made it to where the noise appeared to be coming from she stopped short.

Shoved into her tiny kitchen were all of her friends - even Kyoko. "What're you guys all doing here?" she asked incredulously.

A fork dropped from Gokudera's hand as he sent Tsuna a pleading look. "Juudaime! I didn't mean to eat dinner without you... I was so worried, but your mom just kind of offered."

The others quickly apologized as well, similar stories on their lips. Apparently they had spent so long watching over Tsuna that Nana eventually decided to make everyone a huge feast as a thank you. It also wasn't often that Nana got to meet her daughter's friends - and they were such cute ones at that. Nana even secretly hoped one of them would be her daughter's future husband.

Despite herself a wide grin broke out across Tsuna's face. All of her friends had stayed because they were concerned over her health. Even though she felt kind of uneasy about the fact that so many guys were in her house her heart still swelled with gratitude.

The past few months since Reborn showed up have been hectic and filled with daily annoyances, but Tsuna had to admit that at times it was all worth it. It didn't matter that she couldn't remember anything that happened before _the incident_ - or even the actual event for that matter. That old life that she always seemed to be grasping for, could in no way have been better than the one she was living now.

Wiping away the moisture that suddenly filled her eyes, Tsuna smiled brightly at her friends before joining them at the table.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

On the way home from school the next day Tsuna felt even worse than usual.

The brunette's entire body felt shaky and weak. Bringing up a hand to quell the sudden dizziness, Tsuna noticed a weird symbol in the middle of her palm. Inspecting it closer she realized it was a flaming skull, with it's mouth open in a quiet scream. The girl lifted a brow and tried to remember where the thing had come from. "What are you?" she asked the picture, but it didn't answer - not that she was expecting it to or anything.

"You're going to die," Reborn stated, materializing behind the brunette. "That's a symptom of Skullitis, an incurable disease." Tsuna rolled her eyes, trying to brush off the Hitman, but he was insistent. "Do you know how many times you've been shot with the Dying Will bullet? Ten times. It's said that if someone is killed ten times with it that something horrible will happen to them."

"Isn't that something you should have mentioned before you shot me ten times?" Tsuna scoffed, staring at the weird skull, which seemed to be moving for some reason.

"You're handling this rather well," Reborn commented dryly.

"Of course. There's no such thing as Skullitis," Tsuna shook her head before going about her walk home. Reborn was probably just trying to mess with her. He must have stamped her hand with the odd decal when she wasn't paying attention. More likely than not it would come off with water when she got home.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

Well, needless to say, the skull did not in fact come off with water. Nor with anything else she used - the bleach scrub was definitely not a good idea. So, when the skull actually started talking Tsuna had to admit she was kind of panicking.

"_I've never got a 100 on a test!_" the skull shrieked, a sinister looking air bubble sprawling down her skin.

"Uh, Reborn, what's happening?" Tsuna asked the toddler hesitantly.

The Hitman looked rather smug for some reason. "Skullitis is a strange illness that causes all of your secrets and shame to emerge all over your body before death," Reborn glanced pointedly at the text on her arm. "It's also know as the _Dying-From-Embarrassment-Disease_."

Tsuna face-palmed. _Of all the possible diseases to get...? _

Another secret quickly popped up on her arm, and Tsuna scrambled to cover it up. Any one of them could be about her true identity. Or even about her fake persona at school. If she let this go on all of her secrets would be out in minutes.

"Just so you know, a person typically has about an hour after the symptoms show up before they die," Reborn smirked, nonchalantly shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'd say you have about thirty minutes left to live."

Tsuna balked. If she died this way then all of her friends would know she lied all this time. They'd probably say how deceitful she was and how she never deserved their friendship. The thought oddly made her chest constrict tightly. Here she was finally getting used to the idea of actually even having friends - guys nonetheless, and she was about to lose them. Unless she found a way to survive the disease.

"There has to be something we can do," Tsuna pleaded with Reborn. "Some cure, or treatment - anything."

"Well I do know a doctor that specializes in this kind of thing - " Reborn trailed off, as if he had forgotten something. Just as Tsuna was about to start grovelling, the sound of someone screaming rang from downstairs. Which, was sadly a rather normal occurrence in the house, but this one seemed different. Curious, the brunette went to investigate anyway, her Home Tutor on her heels.

"It's been awhile since I've killed someone for the better of the world," Bianchi huffed, standing over what Tsuna assumed to be a dead body. Whoever it was was sprawled awkwardly on the ground, a steaming pile of poisoned food on his face.

Tsuna sighed as she crossed her arms. "Can you at least _try_ not to kill people in the house?"

"Oh~" the 'dead' man moaned happily as he peeled the poison off his face. "All girls should be tomboys like you. When you resist, it only makes me like you more!" The man hopped up from his position on the ground and quickly planted a kiss on Bianchi's cheek. Tsuna covered her eyes as the man got absolutely clobbered.

"Do you know who that is?" Tsuna asked after a beat. Whenever there was someone weird that she didn't recognize, it was prudent to suspect Reborn had a hand in their appearance.

"That's the doctor I mentioned. Doctor Shamal," Reborn explained, gesturing to the man already on the floor once again. Reborn continued on to say more stuff about the doctor, but Tsuna didn't listen.

For some reason the second she heard his name it began to feel like her head was splitting open. _Why did that name sound so familiar? _Every once in awhile Tsuna would get strange pangs like this. Where something would seem familiar that really wasn't... She assumed it had something to do with the years she couldn't remember before _the incident_, but had no way of being sure. The only things she actually could recall was what she saw in her nightmares, yet even those changed all the time so she couldn't trust them.

"H-hey," Tsuna called out to Shamal hesitantly, a hand gripping her temple tightly. "H-have we m-met before?"

The doctor only shrugged. "I don't work on guys so probably not."

Tsuna eyed him suspiciously, though she wasn't sure if she imagined the wary look in his eyes or not. "Are you sure?"

"I'm pretty sure I'd remember," Shamal waved offhandedly. "I don't make exceptions often... if at all."

"_Even though I pretend not to be I'm actually a g -_ " Tsuna quickly covered the skull as it divulged one of her darkest secrets. If she died now, her friends would know the truth for sure.

"Please, Doctor Shamal," Tsuna strained out, his name causing yet another sharp wave of pain.

"Fine, fine," Shamal sighed exasperatedly. "I'll cure you, but I'd like to talk to you alone first." The doctor glanced lazily at Reborn, but the toddler was either oblivious or unfazed by the silent warning. If Reborn felt like it he'd barge in on any conversation he wanted to. Though this time, he took a metaphorical step back.

Despite the sudden anxiety she felt for being alone with the strange man, Tsuna guided him to her bedroom where they could talk privately. The second the door shut behind her though, she wished she had asked Reborn to come with. For some reason she felt safer with the toddler around. But if this was the only way Shamal would help her she had to go with it.

"So can you really cure an incurable disease?" Tsuna asked after a moment of charged silence. The doctor nodded simply before explaining how he had been born with a weak immune system and managed the diseases he got by counteracting them with diseases of opposing effects. Tsuna didn't believe a word of it, but she wasn't really in a place to judge. Recently whenever she thought something impossible, it just so happened to be real.

"So, the opposite of Skullitis is the Angel Disease," Shamal stated as he pulled open a capsule case. Deftly, he pulled out a capsule and flicked it into the air where it broke open. When it did a mosquito-like bug with a trident in the place of it's nose flew free. "Now do your thing, Angel Mosquito!" Shamal commanded the bug, and it veered straight for Tsuna.

The insect hastily sucked in the brunette's blood before flying back to it's owner. Glancing down, Tsuna noticed that the skulls and the words instantaneously disappeared. "Wow, thank you so much, Doctor Shamal," Tsuna said gratefully, despite the weird stab she got from saying his name. The doctor noticed this however and furrowed his brows slightly.

"Now, about those pesky memories," Shamal mused as he flicked open yet another capsule. Before Tsuna could even react, another mosquito expeditiously made it's way over to her.

"What're y - " Tsuna slurred, before complete darkness shrouded her vision.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the late update guys! I feel bad, but there wasn't much I could do about it. For some reason I got a pretty vicious twitch in my good eye (I'm blind in the other), so writing hasn't exactly been the easiest. I ended up writing this chapter four times though, but eventually decided to just stick with this version. I hope you guys liked it - even though this chapter tried to kill me.

(P.S. Ryohei is probably my favorite character in this series... not quite sure why but hot damn I love him. Maybe it's because he reminds me of Akihiko...)

Thanks for reading! See you again soon ಌ


	8. In A Haze

**Disclaimer: -(Insert witty way of saying I own absolutely nothing here)-**

**CHAPTER EIGHT:**

_**In A Haze**_

_Beep..._

_Beep..._

_Beep..._

_Beep..._

_The only thing that could be heard in the suffocatingly white hospital room was the methodical ticks of a heart monitor. A young girl sat up straight in her bed, dull hazel eyes staring into the otherwise empty room before her. Flowers, balloons, and toys lined the open spaces of the room - but she saw none of it. Really, she saw nothing anymore._

_"Physically, they say nothing is wrong with her. Yet... she's barely gotten any better... I don't - " the voice of the girl's mother carried in from the hallway. For some reason her mommy sounded so sad. The girl tried to feel sympathy, but the emotion like all others she tried to call upon lately stayed somewhere just out of reach._

_"I know," came the gruff response of the girl's father as he embraced his wife. "There's a doctor I know that might be able to help, but it's somewhat risky."_

_"Anything," the mother replied quickly, her voice breaking. "Anything to help my little girl."_

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

"You okay, Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked the brunette suddenly, bringing the girl back to reality. Tsuna blinked hazily, her mind still drifting as if it were away at sea.

"I'm... alright," Tsuna strained out eventually, her voice instantly betraying her. Gokudera frowned deeply from beside the raven haired boy. It was obvious in his stormy green orbs that he was frustrated, and beyond that worried.

"If there's something wrong, Juudaime, you can tell me," Gokudera insisted, a fierce intensity flaring in his eyes. "I'll take care of whatever it is." Yamamoto seemed to have the same sentiment, as he was bobbing his head in agreement.

Tsuna only smiled wistfully at her friends though. Unfortunately, there wasn't anything truly wrong to fix in the first place. Ever since she met with a certain doctor she couldn't shake this feeling that something was off. Sure, Doctor Shamal had saved her life, but what happened afterwards was _strange_.

Now, Tsuna was used to strange. Having a Home Tutor with a happy trigger finger, and constant interruptions from strangers with vendettas made it a daily occurrence - but this was different.

At first the doctor had insisted that he didn't work on guys, yet succumbed so easily when Tsuna asked. Which immediately of course seemed odd, but considering she had only several minutes to live at the time it hardly mattered. But, the thing that truly made her uncomfortable was the fact that she couldn't remember anything after going upstairs with the older man.

One second she was opening the door to her bedroom, and the next - she was waking up on the floor. Completely freaked out, she tried to wake Reborn to ask him what happened, but that had only ended with a few new blossoming bruises. When the toddler did finally return to the land of consciousness though he filled her in.

Apparently the disease had drained more out of Tsuna than they thought it would and she passed out after treatment. As much as she trusted Reborn something just didn't sit right with her. Maybe it was the shadowed look in his dark eyes, but she sensed something there - pity maybe?

Heaving a sigh, Tsuna flopped back onto the warm tiles of the roof. Originally, she had escaped to the roof for lunch to avoid all of the annoying guys in her class, but her _body guards _had soon sniffed her out. It wasn't like she didn't enjoy their company or anything, but when she was already feeling so odd to begin with adding her little panic attacks on top of it didn't seem like the most intelligent of ideas.

Plus, the whole passing out every other day thing wasn't something she particularly loved.

"Ciaossu!" Reborn squeaked from above Tsuna. The brunette groaned, pushing back into a sitting position.

"Do you need something?" she croaked, still rather distracted.

"We're going to make a hideout for the family," Reborn replied curtly. Despite how excited her friends seemed to be at the prospect though, Tsuna grimaced. More than anything she just wanted today to be a normal day. By the time the girl had enough sense to veto the project, they were already deciding where to put it.

"We'll use the Reception Room," Reborn told them definitively. "It's rarely used, and the location is ideal."

"We can start by rearranging the desks," Yamamoto smiled excitedly.

"I don't care, as long as I'm to the right of Juudaime," Gokudera insisted, which of course fired up yet another debate. Tsuna glowered from one boy to the other.

As much as she loved her friends they only enabled Reborn antics.

******-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

Once they made it to Reception Room though, Tsuna had to admit it actually wasn't half bad. The room itself was immaculate, having not a single spot of dirt across the entire surface. Even plush leather furniture filled the room. All in all, it was more than she could have hoped for. But if there was anything Tsuna was sure of - this room was most definitely not abandoned.

In fact, someone was lounging against one of the couches at that very moment.

"Who are you?" the boy asked, his chin inclining slightly. He had shaggy charcoal black hair, and intense yet oddly aloof silver eyes. After the surprise of seeing him wore off however Tsuna recognized him instantly.

_Hibari Kyoya_.

The leader of the infamously merciless Disciplinary Committee. The whole group was known as nothing more than a group of delinquents ruled by their supposedly terrifying President. This was Tsuna's first time seeing him up close though, and honestly he seemed different than she thought he'd be. He was definitely a lot skinnier - like a small animal... well a _feral_ small animal anyway.

Despite herself though, the brunette had to admit he had an oddly attractive aura to him. It was almost as if Hibari was surrounded by a magnetic force that demanded her attention. _How weird..._

"Would you put out your cigarette in front of the Disciplinary Committee President?" Hibari tilted his head, eyes intently on the smoke coiling from Gokudera's cigarette. "No matter, I won't let you get away."

"What the hell, asshole?" the silver haired boy spat back. Yamamoto lifted a hand to stop him from arguing, but it was too late. Faster than any of their eyes could follow, Hibari slashed at the cigarette, subsequently slicing it in half.

Tsuna stared, her hazel orbs wide, as tonfas spun to stuttering halt in his hands. She hadn't even seen Hibari pull the weapons out, much less swing them.

"I really hate weak herbivores that form groups," Hibari narrowed his eyes at the three teens. "Whenever I see them I _really_ want to bite them to death."

Tsuna wanted to protest that she was actually kind of forced into the group, but the words hitched in her throat as he thrust forward. The brunette's body instantly recoiled as the dark haired boy closed in, and she dropped out of the way just as the tonfa sliced the air where her face had been.

"Woah!" Tsuna exclaimed as she scrambled out of the way. The prefect quirked one thin eyebrow, but his attention was quickly diverted.

"I'll kill you, bastard!" Gokudera seethed as he jumped in the way, bombs already in hand. Hibari only seemed amused at the interruption though.

"One down," Hibari stated simply, slamming a tonfa directly into Gokudera's kidney. The silver haired boy went down with a thump, but he was soon replaced by Yamamoto.

Hibari's grey orbs narrowed irritably, as he still wanted to bite Tsuna to death, but he didn't mind another challenger.

Thankfully for the prefect though, Yamamoto put up quite the interesting challenge. On reflexes alone, Yamamoto coolly dodged every swing that came his way. Hibari watched the other raven haired boy with renewed interest, though it was obvious he was only toying with the athlete.

The whole scene however made Tsuna's stomach quiver. As much as she wanted to root for her friend, being around the guys for so long was making her absolutely sick. Swallowing back the sudden metallic taste in her mouth, the brunette hesitantly got to her feet, intent on getting away somehow.

"That makes two," Hibari hissed as he finished off the other boy with a kick. "Now, back to you." The prefect's eyes settled back on Tsuna, a lazy smirk perched on his lips.

Sighing, the girl turned around, ready to accept whatever beating was coming her way. How much worse could it be than the beatings she'd been getting lately anyway? Though, she had gotten most of those when she was under the influence of the Dying Will bullet...

Forcing her back to reality, Hibari launched forward at her once again, tonfas twirling manically in his closed fists. Tsuna tensed for the contact, balling her hands tightly at her sides. But just like before the second he got even remotely close to her, Tsuna's body reacted of it's own volition.

Shivers raked Tsuna's petite form as she darted out of the way. Feelings of actual terror began to course through her veins, and the brunette did all she could to quell the sudden erratic beating of her heart.

Hibari only seemed more enthralled by her narrow escapes however. "Interesting," the prefect sneered, diving at Tsuna again. Fruitlessly, she tried to calm herself once more, but with every inch he advanced her breathing got even more out of control. Finally, she crumpled to the floor, unable to take the proximity anymore.

"Don't touch me!" Tsuna snapped, her voice breaking as she choked back tears. "Please, just don't."

For the first time in awhile the brunette felt actual fear, though it wasn't for getting hurt. No, all she wanted was to be able to retain her sense of self. Ever since she allowed herself to get involved with other people, Tsuna felt as if she had slowly started fading away. Every time she passed out, it felt as if another piece of her had been chipped away.

Not again... she didn't want it to happen again.

Luckily, just as Hibari lifted his tonfa, a certain toddler appeared in the open window of the Reception Room. "Die," Reborn said simply, as he lifted his gun and pulled the trigger.

As she died though, Tsuna regretted not being able to fight Hibari without letting him touch her...

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

"You were amazing, Juudaime!" Gokudera exclaimed, the group finally settled back on the roof. "That prefect couldn't even lay a hand on you."

The brunette blushed at the praise, though she couldn't help the hollow feeling forming in her chest. Sure, in the end Hibari never actually hit her, but that had all been thanks to the Dying Will bullet. Not to mention when she dodged in the first place that had only been her body reacting on it's own. Technically, she hadn't done anything of merit.

"Sorry I couldn't protect you," Yamamoto apologized after a moment, his dark brows furrowed. "I was right there, but couldn't do a thing."

"Don't worry about it," Tsuna responded quickly. "I'm not hurt, see?" The brunette pointed to her face, which was clean of marks - much unlike her friends. "If anything, I should be apologizing to you."

Yamamoto opened his mouth to respond, only to close it a second later.

"You should feel lucky you guys left with only bruises and scratches," Reborn admonished, breaking the silence. "It was a dangerous bet though - "

"Wait," Tsuna groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You orchestrated that whole meeting didn't you?"

Reborn gave her an amused smirk. "You guys need real battle experience to keep you from being peaceful idiots," Reborn explained candidly. "Actually engaging in battle is the best way to train."

With an exaggerated sigh, Tsuna slumped onto the tile. "I went through all that for... training?" she whimpered. "What do I need all of this _training_ for anyway?"

"For the Mafia," Reborn replied dryly.

"Oh yeah, how could I _ever_ forget?" Tsuna remarked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Though, honestly she kind of did.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

As more days passed, Tsuna still couldn't shake the odd feeling looming over her. Ever since the run-in with Doctor Shamal, the brunette didn't have a single nightmare. She didn't really dream _period_, but it was still pretty disconcerting for them to suddenly disappear. Despite that though, she wasn't too sure if Shamal was directly related. In the past her nightmares had gone away and come back, but for some reason this felt different - more permanent.

So, maybe that's why she didn't quite realize what was happening around her until she heard someone scream her name.

"It's decided then!" Ryohei declared at the front of the room. "The leader for the Pole Knocking is Sawada Tsuna!"

Somewhat disoriented, Tsuna warily glanced up. "W-what?"

"Congrats, Juudaime," Gokudera gave her an encouraging grin.

"No, seriously - what's going on?" Tsuna demanded, feeling the intensity of the eyes around her. "And why is everybody staring at me?"

Yamamoto chuckled, his award winning smile wide on his face. "Daydreaming again? You've been doing that a lot lately." Tsuna grimaced guiltily, locking her fingers nervously in her lap. She hadn't realized her friends noticed she had been zoning out so much.

"Well anyway," Gokudera started, sending Yamamoto a quick glare for upsetting her. "Turf-top over there stepped down as leader of Team A, and nominated you as his replacement. Isn't that awesome?"

"Yeah, awesome," Tsuna sighed, resting her chin on the desk in front of her. Normally, the brunette would find a way out of these types of events. They were the absolute worst with her _problem_. So many boys crowded in such a tight space, all attacking each other to get to the leader - and they wanted her to be in the middle of it. Albeit she'd technically be _on top of it_, that didn't change the fact that guys would be literally fighting to get ahold of her.

No way in hell was she going to subject herself to that torture.

Despite what she wanted though, Tsuna knew that no matter what she said Ryohei probably wouldn't take back his resignation. If it came down to it she was willing to just ditch out, and let the team figure it out themselves. Team A wouldn't mind anyway, considering their never ending glares, they'd likely be ecstatic.

Not to mention it would be a step towards getting Tsuna's old reputation back. Of course, she didn't want to let down her friends but most of the people she would be letting down hated her to begin with. Well, maybe not hate _per se_, but at the very least they didn't have high expectations.

As much as she wished she could just not care about it all, she felt bad. It was basically the volleyball tournament all over again...

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

Over the course of the next few hours everyone in their own way made Tsuna feel worse about her plan. After some deliberation she decided faking a cold would be the best route, so that way no one could really blame her for not wanting to go - but that soon went out the door. Not only were Yamamoto and Gokudera excited about the competition but even Kyoko and Haru couldn't hide their anticipation. Reborn also threatened to kill her, but that wasn't really too out of the ordinary.

So, when her friends eventually approached her about practicing for tomorrow Tsuna couldn't say no.

"Okay, time to climb up, Sawada!" Ryohei exclaimed enthusiastically as he set the practice pole onto the ground.

Tsuna blinked. "I don't think I can, Onii-chan," the brunette mumbled, eyeing the precarious height of the pole. There was definitely no way she was going to be able to do this. Whether it was just practice or the actual competition, she simply didn't have the strength.

"That's no way to talk!" Ryohei insisted. "It's all about spirit! Climb with your spirit to the extreme!"

Before Tsuna could even dignify him with a response Gokudera piped in. "If you keep harassing Juudaime like that, I'll kick your ass, Turf-top."

"Do it if you can, Octopus-head," Ryohei challenged back. Tsuna stifled a laugh. Which of course, sent Gokudera into a blind rage.

"I'll kill you!" the silver haired boy screamed, along with a few other profanities that Tsuna tried her best to block out. Gokudera dove forward, only to be pulled back by Yamamoto. The athlete struggled to hold him still, but after a few moments Gokudera shrugged him off, back to normal.

"I agree with Sasagawa," Reborn chimed in, forcing them to refocus. The Hitman aimed his gun at his student, obviously impatient at the ordeal.

"Is that really necess - " Tsuna sputtered before being cut off by a bullet to the face.

**-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

When Tsuna finally had control over her actions again she was gripping the pole tightly as it wobbled beneath her. There were even explosions going off on the ground below. "Uh - guys?" Tsuna called down, her stomach undulating with every swing.

"Sorry, Tsuna!" Yamamoto shouted up, the only one left supporting her as the others were in the midst of a ridiculous squabble. Sweat covered the raven haired boy's face as he attempted to steady the pole, but to no avail. "You're gonna fall!"

"What?!" Tsuna screeched as she was finally bucked off the top. Luckily, they practiced near the river so she didn't, you know, splatter to death. Unfortunately though, the brunette hadn't the slightest inkling how to swim, and wearing chest binding made it near impossible.

Panic quickly overtook her as she struggled against the slight current. Water went up her nose and down her throat, seeping slowly into her lungs. Somewhere far off she heard her friends shouting after her - everything else forgotten, but their words fell on deaf ears. Tsuna's body burned violently at the lack of oxygen, and in what seemed like a matter of milliseconds she was utterly submerged in the murky water.

Tearing off his shirt, Yamamoto rocketed off into the water, Gokudera jumping in right after him. Ryohei also followed suit, but he wasn't the most talented of swimmers so he didn't get very far. The raven haired boy reached Tsuna first, as his long limbs made him nimble in the water. Scooping the brunette up bridal style, Yamamoto carried her dead weight back to the shore with the help of Gokudera.

When they finally got Tsuna back to solid ground though, the three boys had no idea what to do.

"I know CPR!" Ryohei shoved the other two guys out of the way. The boxer was a certified Life Guard during the Summers, although he was never truly trained he'd at least seen others do CPR before. Plugging her nose, Ryohei bent down and gushed as much air into her mouth as he could. When he went do chest compressions though, Gokudera lifted a hand to stop him.

"Juudaime has chest problems, you could seriously hurt him if you do that," Gokudera furrowed his brows, unsure of what else they could do.

"Let me," Reborn, still dressed as Master PaoPao, piped in. The toddler swiftly pounded his fist into the middle of his student's chest. Water sputtered out of her mouth, and Tsuna sprang up with a gasp. Yamamoto let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, while Gokudera plopped to the ground with a sigh.

Fluttering open, Tsuna's hazel eyes darted to each boy before a deep blush took over her face. "W-what happened?... and w-why're you guys sh-shirtless?"

The raven haired boy glanced down like he forgot, then shrugged. "A shirt would have only got in the way."

"Well that answers one of my questions I guess," Tsuna huffed, as she surreptitiously slid away from the group. The brunette was wet, cold and it felt like she had been doused in acid.

"You almost drowned, Juudaime," Gokudera exclaimed after a beat, crouching into a dogeza. "I'm so sorry! If only I had held onto the pole you wouldn't have gone into the river! Turf-top attacked me, and I expected the baseball idiot to hold out longer than that!"

"Your cigarette was effecting my health!" Ryohei defended himself, which spiraled into yet another fight between the two. Yamamoto on the other hand sat with his head lowered, his lips in a firm line. Tsuna wondered why the raven haired boy was always so hard on himself, especially when it came to protecting her but wasn't really sure what to do about it.

"Hey guys," Tsuna called over their bickering. "I just want to say... Thank you for saving me."

Gokudera scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Of course, Juudaime." Ryohei blushed rapidly as well, before looking away, slightly embarrassed of his actions. Yamamoto on the other hand still looked guilty, but attempted a smile.

"I'm sorry though," Tsuna sighed, pushing herself up from the ground. "I'm not going to participate in the Pole Knocking tomorrow." Regardless that she didn't want to go in the first place, this had completely solidified the fact. No matter how much she trusted her friends, if they couldn't even hold her up how was she supposed to avoid being touched by all of the other guys during the competition?

"Juudaime," Gokudera pleaded. "I'll prove myself tomorrow, I swear it."

"Yeah," Yamamoto agreed. "We won't let you fall. Just give us another chance."

"We'll hold you up to the extreme!" Ryohei added, punching the air.

Tsuna heaved a sigh, lifting her hands in defeat. If she ditched the event now, her friends would think it had to do with her trust in them. "I give, I give," she conceded. "But you better not let anyone get to me."

******-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

When Tsuna woke up the next day she immediately felt awful. Hesitantly, the brunette brought a hand to her forehead, only to find it scorching hot to the touch. Of course after she finally decided to drop her idiotic plan she actually got sick. Who would have thought nearly drowning in a dirty river could make a person so sick?

Ignoring the dizziness overtaking her, Tsuna slowly pushed up from her makeshift bed. Albeit sluggishly, Tsuna went about her normal morning routine. As much as she wanted to just stay in bed, she knew it was too late to back out of the competition now. Too many of her friends were relying on her, and even though there were plenty of people wishing she wouldn't show up - she had to.

"Good morning, leader!" Nana exclaimed as her daughter made her way down the stairs. Tsuna stopped short, noticing that the kitchen was full of life. Nana, Bianchi and Haru were all bustling about cooking lunch for the group.

"Haru?" Tsuna arced an eyebrow at the girl. "What're you doing here?"

The other girl swooned at the attention. "As your future wife, Haru wanted to learn and make all of your favorite foods. Mama helped~"

Tsuna narrowed her eyes at her mother, who only smiled back mischievously. Nana didn't pull any punches when it came to pressuring her daughter into dropping the cross-dressing act.

"Fine," Tsuna huffed after a minute, not in the mood to argue. "I guess I'll see you later."

******************************-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

As the day progressed though Tsuna's condition only continued to get worse. The fever was making her absolutely delirious, and she even developed a pretty nasty cough. There was no way something too serious could have developed overnight, but she was still somewhat concerned.

"Oh, Tsuna-kun, wait up!" someone called after the brunette, breaking her from her daze. Tsuna glanced over her shoulder to see Kyoko sprinting after her.

"H-hey, Kyoko-chan," Tsuna waved limply.

"I made this for you," Kyoko presented a leader's headband with writing etched onto the front. "I stitched your name into it."

"Thank yo - " Tsuna tried to say as she accepted the gift, but was interrupted by a hacking fit.

"Woah, are you okay, Tsuna-kun?" Kyoko asked worriedly, her eyes wide.

"I'm fine," Tsuna responded after it calmed down again. "Just a small cough, no worries."

"Alright," Kyoko assented, though her eyes still held concern. "Well, I'll be rooting for you and Onii-chan today!"

Tsuna sighed, closing her eyes which were throbbing rather intensely. Now there truly was no way she could back out of the competition...

******************************-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

Even just a few minutes into the Athletic Festival Tsuna was already at her limit. Thankfully, the boys and girls were separated for the most part so all she had to do was hover more towards the girl's side - but even that turned sour after fangirls began to swarm her with questions about Yamamoto and Gokudera. It seemed the rumors about the three of them had been escalating as of late.

"I - uh - should go," Tsuna darted away from the group of girls. "Yamamoto will be running soon and I promised to watch." Some of the girls squealed at the mention of the athlete, while the others, particularly the ones with Gokudera's face painted on their signs, frowned dejectedly. The brunette apologized sheepishly, before completely breaking free from them.

The first few events of the Festival went by in a blur, especially considering Tsuna could barely tell what was happening. Of course Yamamoto won his race, which was actually somewhat surprising since he even outran the track members, but the brunette didn't have nearly as much luck. Once it was finally Tsuna's turn to participate in the Pogo event she immediately tipped over, smashing her face flat on the ground. Looks like her equilibrium was shot as well...

"Good idea, Juudaime!" Gokudera praised her with a sly smirk as she rejoined the group. "Saving your strength for the Pole Knocking event!"

"I really wasn't - " Tsuna tried to explain, but Ryohei barged into the conversation, subsequently cutting her off. The boxer raucously lectured her for dishonoring Team A, but _again_ before she had the chance to respond Gokudera came to her defense. Which, of course ended with the two hot heads clobbering each other.

"Team infighting, eh?" a slobbering voice sneered, causing the two to freeze. "Pole Knocking is all about team work - looks like we have nothing to fear from Team A after all." Rather than shaking the competition like he meant to though, the captain of Team C only directed the violent attention of Ryohei and Gokudera. _At least the two were finally working together._

But, much with how her luck was going today, Tsuna got solely blamed for taking out the other leader. "What did you do to our captain?!" an uproar from Team C broke out. The brunette paled as the giant group of guys formed angrily around her. This was exactly the type of situation she had hoped to avoid.

"I'll take any of you assholes on," Gokudera seethed through his cigarette.

"Bring it on _to the extreme_!" Ryohei chimed in, already in a boxing stance.

Despite her friends' enthusiasm to fight however, the crowd ebbed stronger with their every word. Dizziness from both her cold and the proximity to such an insane amount of guys made Tsuna's stomach broil viciously. Any more of this and she was going to lose her breakfast.

"Everyone, wait just a minute!" a random student piped above the crowd. "The leader of Team B just got knocked out as well! An eye witness says they saw the leader from Team A do it!"

Tsuna gaped incredulously as the mob size doubled, every single glare reserved specifically for her. "You guys saw me the whole time," she struggled to reason with them, looking positively green. "I never left this spot." Some of Team B turned reproachful, but that was soon quelled as the _eye witness_ came to give his testimony.

"The one who attacked the leader of Team B, was none other than Sawada Tsuna," Reborn, disguised as an old man, accused with an upraised finger pointed directly at her.

_Traitor!_ Tsuna wanted to shout, but didn't trust herself enough to speak. At this rate, not only was she going to pass out, but she probably wouldn't even survive the day.

**********************************************-Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ-**

Eventually, to settle the debate of whether or not Team A should be disqualified for '_underhanded trickery_', as the other teams put it, delegates from each class were selected to represent their team. Tsuna truly feared for the worst. With their most eccentric member speaking for them, Team A was doomed to fall to Ryohei's enthusiasm.

Despite the supposedly peaceful discussion however, that didn't stop people from swarming Tsuna during the lunch break. The aggressors even took to hitting on Haru and Bianchi, which annoyed Tsuna to litterally no end - but the idiots soon got what was coming to them when they accepted some chocolate from Bianchi. It was honestly the only time Tsuna felt thankful for the older girl's existence, but that lasted a whole minute before Tsuna realized she had been blamed for that as well.

"Upon debating with the representatives " a voice crackled over the loud speaker. "This year's Pole Knocking event will be Team A versus a Team B and C combination!"

The roar heard throughout the courtyard was absolutely deafening.

For years Tsuna had tried her best to never start waves with people at school - to go completely unnoticed. Yet somehow in a matter of hours she managed to not only get everyone's attention, but get over half the school to hate her guts as well. Productive day so far if she did say so herself.

As if all that wasn't enough a certain _Disciplinary Committee President _took it upon himself to be the leader for the new combined team. By the time he was poised at the top of the pole, the group just looked like one beast riding on top of another. The vast difference in group sizes was ridiculously noticeable as well. Team A didn't have even the slightest of chances.

Trying her best to ignore the shivers that ran the length of her spine, Tsuna steadily made her way up the pole. _Just get this over with and you can get away from the guys._ The brunette chanted to herself with every step, but the added effect of her cold only made the climbing that much more difficult.

After Tsuna finally painstakingly reached the top, an eerie silence passed the grounds.

"GO!" everyone shouted simultaneously, destroying the hush as all hell broke loose.

To say Team A got decimated in a matter of seconds would be a vast understatement. That wasn't to say they didn't fight valiantly or anything, but the 2 to 1 ratio definitely showed. Despite the utterly instantaneous defeat, Tsuna had to admit she was proud of her friends. All of them were taking on five or more guys at a time, but even they eventually crumpled when wave after wave of replacements crashed into them.

As the pole beneath her began to sway, the brunette knew it would only be a matter of seconds before someone would come to tear her down. If she didn't die from them ripping her apart, she'd likely die of shock. "I should have just stayed in bed," Tsuna muttered as the first guy reached for her ankle.

Pulling her feet up onto the small stool at the top of the pole, Tsuna closed her eyes and attempted to block out everything around her. Maybe if she pretended she wasn't here she would magically appear back at home, in her bed... Or maybe all of this was just a really bad fever dream... She could have also died in the river yesterday, and this was all just some cosmic retribution showing her what she missed...

But sadly, when she opened her eyes again, the hungry looks of the boys clawing up was all that greeted her. Just when Tsuna was finally ready to submit to reality however, the familiar sound of a gunshot rang above the massive noise below her.

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When Tsuna finally came to, she was underneath the sheets of a stiff bed she didn't recognize. Blinking away the bleariness in her hazel eyes, the first thing she saw was the wide smile on Gokudera's face.

"Juudaime!" he exclaimed happily, though there was a hint of worry in his voice.

"What happened?" she croaked, her voice hoarser than she thought it would be. The brunette noted numbly how often she had to ask that question lately. It seemed she was either fainting or getting so lost in her thoughts that she missed something important - like getting nominated for something she really didn't want to be a part of. The idea kind of scared her since it showed a lack of control, but for some reason she couldn't force herself to dwell on it too much.

"Well, we kind of lost the Pole Knocking," Gokudera admitted sheepishly after a moment. "But right after it ended you passed out from a fever. Why didn't you tell me you were sick?"

Tsuna blinked. "I - uh - didn't want to let you guys down." It was then that Tsuna noticed all of her friends were packed into the room as well. Gokudera was of course the closest but behind him stood Yamamoto and Ryohei. Even Reborn, in his Master PaoPao costume, was perched in a nearby window sill. The brunette grimaced deeply. She really needed to stop worrying her friends like this. Sooner or later they'd think she was some sort of invalid - if they already didn't.

"I'm sorry for worrying everyone... again," Tsuna looked away guiltily. This was just yet another reason why she shouldn't associate with other people.

"Don't be sorry," Yamamoto replied quickly, stealing Tsuna's usual line from when he apologized.

"Yeah," Ryohei agreed, for once at a loss for words.

Tsuna opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off by the sound of a familiar voice.

"As much as I _love_ having guys in my office, would you all please clear out so there's more room for cute girl patients to stay?" Doctor Shamal asked, or more accurately, _demanded_ them.

Tsuna felt a twinge in the back of her mind at the sound of his voice, but attributed it to the fever, which was very much so still raging. Despite that though, Tsuna smiled lightly at the sight of her friends. Even if she was just a shell of a person that barely remembered anything in her life, she had a reason to be happy. No matter what happened in her past, no matter who she thought she should be - she finally had people that cared about her.

And really, why did she need anything else?

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**Author's Note:** That chapter took forever and a day to write. Seriously, I'm so sorry for the late update. I originally didn't want to include the Pole Knocking scenes, but I figured why the hell not? I tried to add my own twist on it, though I didn't want to change too much of the craziness as whatever I could come up with would probably only come off as a shallow imitation.

(P.S. if you're sensing something off or weird in this story it's probably intentional so just go with it.)

Thank you though to all the lovely people that are reviewing, favoriting and alerting this story. You guys are the best morale boosters ever ಌ


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